AOC says the world will end in 12 years if we don't address climate change

[Blue3]

I think she's shooting herself in the foot with this one.

The climate will continue to get worse the longer we add more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere via artificial processes. But the world will still exist in 12 years. And so will civilization and life as it is now, barring an asteroid collision or cosmic radiation or supervolcano or man-made supervirus or nuclear war.

[Reaganfan]

During the same breath she then began ranting about the criminal justice system.

:facepalm

[elcorazon]

God forbid we take climate change seriously. So far we are ignoring it. I hope she is successful in getting in to the top of the agenda where it belongs.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

The world will not end because of climate change. The world will be fine, it's HUMANITY that will be in danger.

[mgop]

God forbid we take climate change seriously. So far we are ignoring it. I hope she is successful in getting in to the top of the agenda where it belongs.

why would anybody take seriously people who told us that maldives and florida will sink

[Middle-aged Europe]

The 12 11-year-window until 2030 is in fact the commonly accepted deadline among climate scientists to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate change.

If the necessary measures aren't taken before that date the world will more likely end around 2100 and not 2030 though. It's sort of a point of no return.

My question is what were AOC's precise words here?

[Reaganfan]

God forbid we take climate change seriously. So far we are ignoring it. I hope she is successful in getting in to the top of the agenda where it belongs.

why would anybody take seriously people who told us that maldives and florida will sink

You know the worst part? If we made her ruler of the planet, followed every "climate change" rule there could possibly be...you would still have blizzards, tornadoes, and Category 5 hurricanes. Ice caps would still melt then re-freeze then melt and re-freeze. Volcanos and supervolcanos will still blow their tops, causing landslides and tsunamis. The next big earthquake and wildfires would still hit.

There is nothing we can do.

[JA]

The 12-year-window until 2030 is in fact the commonly accepted deadline among climate scientists to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate change.

If the necessary measures aren't taken before that date the world will more likely end around 2100 and not 2030 though. It's sort of a point of no return.

My question is what were AOC's precise words here?

Precision of words are less important that purpose of message. She said what needed to be said; climate change is the greatest catastrophe homo sapien sapien has ever experienced and our window of time available for adequately addressing it is quickly closing.

[Blue3]

The world will not end because of climate change. The world will be fine, it's HUMANITY that will be in danger.

Yes, but we won't be extinct in 12 years due to it.

The climate will continue to get worse the longer we add more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere via artificial processes. But the world will still exist in 12 years. And so will civilization and life as it is now, barring an asteroid collision or cosmic radiation or supervolcano or man-made supervirus or nuclear war.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

The world will not end because of climate change. The world will be fine, it's HUMANITY that will be in danger.

Yes, but we won't be extinct in 12 years due to it.

The climate will continue to get worse the longer we add more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere via artificial processes. But the world will still exist in 12 years. And so will civilization and life as it is now, barring an asteroid collision or cosmic radiation or supervolcano or man-made supervirus or nuclear war.

I never said that we would be extinct in 12 years.

[rc18]

The new secular Apocalypticism.

[President Johnson]

Sometimes it just looks like she desperately cries for public attention, even though I agree we better act on climate change rather sooner than later.

[Hammy]

Very suspicious claim and headline when no actual article was linked.

[DavidB.]

Bookmarking this one to quote in 12 years when AOC is still lining her pockets in DC and the world is just fine.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Sometimes it just looks like she desperately cries for public attention, even though I agree we better act on climate change rather sooner than later.

[emailking]

Very suspicious claim and headline when no actual article was linked.

It's an accurate paraphrase of what she said; however, she was being hyperbolic.

[President Johnson]

Very suspicious claim and headline when no actual article was linked.

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Full USA Today Article

[Deleted User #4049]

She's wrong about the numbers but 100% right about the basic premise. Climate change is the existential threat of this generation.

[Badger]

God forbid we take climate change seriously. So far we are ignoring it. I hope she is successful in getting in to the top of the agenda where it belongs.

why would anybody take seriously people who told us that maldives and florida will sink

Because they empirically absolutely are? No one said they would buy 2019, but at this rate there's some bad things coming for both in the foreseeable future.

[7,052,770]

I mean, she's not wrong. Probably more senastionalist wording than I would have used, but that's a matter of style, not substance.

[courts]

God forbid we take climate change seriously. So far we are ignoring it. I hope she is successful in getting in to the top of the agenda where it belongs.

why would anybody take seriously people who told us that maldives and florida will sink

You know the worst part? If we made her ruler of the planet, followed every "climate change" rule there could possibly be...you would still have blizzards, tornadoes, and Category 5 hurricanes. Ice caps would still melt then re-freeze then melt and re-freeze. Volcanos and supervolcanos will still blow their tops, causing landslides and tsunamis. The next big earthquake and wildfires would still hit.

There is nothing we can do.

yeah short of some sort of some breakthrough in carbon capture technology or something like that it's not going to get better. at most it could just be slowed down a bit

[Devout Centrist]

God forbid we take climate change seriously. So far we are ignoring it. I hope she is successful in getting in to the top of the agenda where it belongs.

why would anybody take seriously people who told us that maldives and florida will sink

You know the worst part? If we made her ruler of the planet, followed every "climate change" rule there could possibly be...you would still have blizzards, tornadoes, and Category 5 hurricanes. Ice caps would still melt then re-freeze then melt and re-freeze. Volcanos and supervolcanos will still blow their tops, causing landslides and tsunamis. The next big earthquake and wildfires would still hit.

There is nothing we can do.

'Lie down and die' is not a good strategy

[Badger]

God forbid we take climate change seriously. So far we are ignoring it. I hope she is successful in getting in to the top of the agenda where it belongs.

why would anybody take seriously people who told us that maldives and florida will sink

You know the worst part? If we made her ruler of the planet, followed every "climate change" rule there could possibly be...you would still have blizzards, tornadoes, and Category 5 hurricanes. Ice caps would still melt then re-freeze then melt and re-freeze. Volcanos and supervolcanos will still blow their tops, causing landslides and tsunamis. The next big earthquake and wildfires would still hit.

There is nothing we can do.

Not even by appeasing the volcano Gods by throwing soulless gingers into them? We truly are doomed.

[ON Progressive]

I mean, she's not wrong. Probably more senastionalist wording than I would have used, but that's a matter of style, not substance.

This.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Statement like hers only hurt the climate change action message.  One sure way to drive away nearly anybody who thinks climate change is a problem but doesn't think about it much... is to tell them if they don't up and change everything about their lifestyle right now, the world is gonna end in 12 years.  

Also, you need to point to evidence that is not sensationalist or easy to poke holes in, no matter how wrong those counter-arguments might be.  The endangered Pacific nations are a good example.

Many of these low Pacific atolls are stuck between sinking land and rising seas.  They are pumping too much ground water due to overpopulation.  The lense of fresh water that sits on top of the salt water under the land gets depleted and begins to turn brackish and the land subsides.  On top of that, warmer oceans lead to thermal expansion which causes sea level rise.  What is easier for these island nations?  Convincing Americans, Chinese, Russians, Indians, and Brazilians to dramatically curtail greenhouse gas emissions?  Or find sustainable water sources?  

Ultimately this is about something bad happening to the land these people live on, and their seeking a scapegoat to deflect responsibility for a problem that is half their own fault.  Even so, wealthy nations have a responsibility to help these nations cope.  Providing funding for rainwater collection and filtration to reduce ground water pumping is a no-brainer.

As for this idea that there are these "tipping points" always 10-15 years in the future if we don't do something NOW and that the politically arrived at temperature increase limit represents some unholy number that if you cross it, the whole thing goes straight to hell... is all just activists at lavish conferences negotiating science.

Then there is the issue of power production:

We will *never* power our economy with windmills and solar panels.  Ever.  They are supplementary and not reliable.  When wind power becomes a significant source of electricity, one storm or one calm spell is enough to black out the grid.  And don't give me "but BATTERIES" or "but IMPROVEMENTS"... yes... this is true.  Still doesn't matter.  We need a non-carbon based base energy source that isn't dependent on the weather.