The temperature in China hit 52.2°C (126°F)

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Have you ever had a friend or relative who was just in such poor health, who you basically expected to keel over and die any day now? If so, you probably know what I mean when you eventually just accept that the person you once knew is already dead, and all that's left is a husk that's just riding out the last bit of momentum they've got until they fade away. And then when they finally do die, it doesn't even hurt, because you've already had time to grieve and process your emotions in advance.
That's kinda how I feel about the earth these days. I feel like the earth is on hospice care, and at that point that we're just making it as comfortable as we can for it to die.
Maybe that's a little melodramatic. But it really does just feel hopeless these days.
- It's not Earth that's in trouble...
  
  Yeah I feel like this is just like when the body gets a fever to get rid of a sickness. The earth is just getting a little fever to get rid of our dumbasses real quick. Then it will go right back to normal and be completely fine.
- If it's any consolation. Earth, as in the spinning ball of dirt, will be just fine for many more millions of years. Humans, and other animal species, on the other hand are not going to be fine if the trend continuous.
  Dunno, I find it kind of consoling in a meloncolic kind of way.
  
  It's not the first mass extinction and it will not be the last.
  
  But it is the only one we get to partake in!
  
  But it is the only one we get to ~~partake in~~ cause
  Ftfy
- I feel you. I don't think it's hopeless, but I do think we're in for a rough ride. That being said, I actually have a lot of faith in the upcoming generation. I think that if they get angry enough, they have the potential to arrest what's happening and even turn it around given how well they work together. Greta gets a lot of hate, but hell, I haven't seen someone make as successful a series of environmental stands since Julia Butterfly. If her generation keeps showing that fire, I think there's still hope for humans to live in harmony with the earth.
  
  As much as I also have hope in the next generation, there isn't a damn thing we can do anymore. If every single human being disappeared right now, the earth would continue warming and experiencing climate change for 100s more years, because of the feedback loops we have set in motion and the fact that the ocean is still dampening some effects, but won't be able to for long. Our only hope to avert complete disaster, collapse of society and maybe even the extinction of humanity is if we find a way to start pulling massive amounts of CO2 out of the atmosphere ASAP. Carbon neutrality isn't enough, we need to be carbon negative. If zoomers can get that done, in time, then they're a whole other fucking class of human. I hope they do, but I think the odds are against them and all of us.
  
  Me too.
  Shit is fucked. There are unavoidable problems on the way, but I do have faith in today's generation.
- Fever is a tried and tested method in nature to eliminate infections which become too detrimental to the host.
  It will be very much that way if we can't evolve to a symbiotic relationship with our planet.
  
  Indeed. Everyone says they are worried about the Earth.
  In geologic time scales, Earth will be fine. Humans, and in much shorter time scales? Not so much, if we don't get it together.
  
  Humans are toast no matter what. The party had to end eventually. We had a good run.

299 comments