Comments on: The coming shitstorm, part 2 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695 The daily organ of the Northeast Corridor Social Club Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:32:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: How To Play Poker http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695#comment-21192 How To Play Poker Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:27:37 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695#comment-21192 <strong>How To Play Poker...</strong> Online Poker... How To Play Poker…

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]]> By: The Great Whatsit » Year in review: The best of TGW 2006 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695#comment-14685 The Great Whatsit » Year in review: The best of TGW 2006 Mon, 15 Jan 2007 14:22:29 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695#comment-14685 [...] Dave B, “The Coming Shitstorm” (Parts 1 and 2) Dave B, “Hope: a non-sermon” Scott Godfrey, “A journal of hope” [...] [...] Dave B, “The Coming Shitstorm” (Parts 1 and 2) Dave B, “Hope: a non-sermon” Scott Godfrey, “A journal of hope” [...]

]]> By: bacon http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695#comment-2846 bacon Wed, 02 Aug 2006 13:52:42 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695#comment-2846 Dave, of course Europeans are concerned. They don't have talk radio, so they have to rely on newspapers. It makes me sad for them, fretting for decades about global warming. We get to live in childish bliss until the flood waters finally reach our front doors. Dave, of course Europeans are concerned. They don’t have talk radio, so they have to rely on newspapers. It makes me sad for them, fretting for decades about global warming. We get to live in childish bliss until the flood waters finally reach our front doors.

]]> By: Dave http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695#comment-2831 Dave Wed, 02 Aug 2006 03:29:12 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695#comment-2831 Indeed, as bacon points out, it's hard to get people to undertake serious personal costs to prevent a far-away, ill-defined disaster. Often that's not a bad thing; when a crisis hits, we're able to rally and solve the problem. People didn't want to deal with Nazi Germany in the '30s, and it would have been easier to to it sooner rather than later, but eventually they were able to fix the problem, albeit at great cost. The problem with the threats we're talking about here is they could potentially overwhelm any belated attempt at a response. Sometimes there's no way at all to solve a problem if you start too late. On the other hand, my impression is that most European (and some other) publics are very concerned about global warming, for one thing, and are applying enough political pressure to get their leaders to take real action about it. Unfortunately, here in the world's largest producer by far of greenhouse gases, there's a different political reality. Indeed, as bacon points out, it’s hard to get people to undertake serious personal costs to prevent a far-away, ill-defined disaster. Often that’s not a bad thing; when a crisis hits, we’re able to rally and solve the problem. People didn’t want to deal with Nazi Germany in the ’30s, and it would have been easier to to it sooner rather than later, but eventually they were able to fix the problem, albeit at great cost.

The problem with the threats we’re talking about here is they could potentially overwhelm any belated attempt at a response. Sometimes there’s no way at all to solve a problem if you start too late.

On the other hand, my impression is that most European (and some other) publics are very concerned about global warming, for one thing, and are applying enough political pressure to get their leaders to take real action about it. Unfortunately, here in the world’s largest producer by far of greenhouse gases, there’s a different political reality.

]]> By: Scott Godfrey http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695#comment-2821 Scott Godfrey Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:40:26 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/695#comment-2821 Dave, You're probably right; humans won't disappear. My scenario was just, as I see it, the best case. It’s how I find hope in an otherwise hopeless situation. Last night, Steph and I, as we were feeling as jolly as ever, discussed the possible ways to avert the “Shitstorm.” They are: One: figure out a way to abolish human greed (not likely). Two: use greed as an incentivizer of positive change (the free market as a savior model). This path is seen by many (including, presumably, Al Gore, chairman of <em>Generation Investment Management</em>, an investment firm that focuses on socially and environmentally sustainable corporations and technologies) as our most likely way of avoiding catastrophe. As someone who works in conservation, I understand the need for incentives, but I see this model as a bit overly simplistic. For example, market solutions rarely deal with the “human factor,” and I don’t think that the billions of really desperate people in the world will be kept at bay for ever. Three: anyone? Dave,

You’re probably right; humans won’t disappear. My scenario was just, as I see it, the best case. It’s how I find hope in an otherwise hopeless situation.

Last night, Steph and I, as we were feeling as jolly as ever, discussed the possible ways to avert the “Shitstorm.” They are:

One: figure out a way to abolish human greed (not likely).

Two: use greed as an incentivizer of positive change (the free market as a savior model). This path is seen by many (including, presumably, Al Gore, chairman of Generation Investment Management, an investment firm that focuses on socially and environmentally sustainable corporations and technologies) as our most likely way of avoiding catastrophe. As someone who works in conservation, I understand the need for incentives, but I see this model as a bit overly simplistic. For example, market solutions rarely deal with the “human factor,” and I don’t think that the billions of really desperate people in the world will be kept at bay for ever.

Three: anyone?

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