[johngossman]

This is one of these nuanced takes that will please few. It acknowledges all sorts of uncertainty and adopts ethical priorities that cannot be established empirically even if (unlikely) the facts are universally agreed upon. I applaud the attempt and wish there could be real debate over this and other complex positions.

[next_xibalba]

Agreed. But I think it is also worth pointing out that many climate activists (and, I think, the predominant climate narrative) has really shot itself in the foot with the extinction talk. I get it. It's hard to get people to care when you say, "it will probably be pretty unpleasant, and extremely unpleasant in some places." It's a lot easier to get people very excited when your message is, "this is definitely an extinction level event." But the latter is a lie. And eventually lies get outed. And then whoever was telling the lie loses credibility. And possibly the pendulum swings too far in the other direction–"there is definitely nothing to worry about with respect to the climate."