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by Arun2009 164 days ago
What we tend to forget is that even with the catastrophic effects of climate change, the Earth is still vastly more inhabitable than other planets in the solar system. More pertinently, today we also have the intellectual tools to come with the right solutions for a good part of this problem. Solutions most likely won't require dramatic breakthroughs in fundamental science; probably just more clever engineering and better social and political coordination.

The real problem is that this is happening in one of the most socio-economically underdeveloped regions of the world. Despite isolated centers of modest excellence, India still hasn't fully absorbed the implications of the scientific revolution at a popular, cultural level. A good part of the population are still caught up in pre-modern modes of thinking. Rather than addressing this gap, the political establishment is only deepening an irrational and romantic belief in the worth of India's classical worldviews to continue their hold on power.

More than climate change, I dread the self-inflicted servitude to infantile notions that is holding India hostage. It's not really difficult to emerge out of this - we just need to shed our intellectual timidity and face reality as it is.

5 comments

> What we tend to forget is that even with the catastrophic effects of climate change, the Earth is still vastly more inhabitable than other planets in the solar system.

Speak for yourself. I have never forgotten that Earth is more inhabitable than Mars or Jupiter

We already have all the tools needed to stop climate change. The current problem is that nobody wants to pay for it.
Nobody wants to sacrifice their own economic growth / position.

But also, would it actually make a difference at this point? That is, can it be stopped, or have we passed the point of no return? I believe the latter.

More and faster warming is always worse than less and slower warming, so every reduction in CO2 helps.
There are also pockets of India that are more advanced than many places elsewhere. I have a lot of love for Kerala. It doesn't have too many jobs, but it has a ton of heart and forward thinking people (which is why industrialists are scared of it).
> but it has a ton of heart and forward thinking people (which is why industrialists are scared of it).

You can check the name of the party in power to check what industrialists are scared of.

I'm a communist ;) The party in power is CPI-M and the BJP hates them. Good!
Yeah, at the end of the day they need to go to Bangalore or Gulf to work. So, who cares which party is in power in Kerala ;)
Industrialists are scared of communists and unions, for good reason.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokku_kooli

That's not communism, nor a union. That's just racketeering.
Clearly you haven't experienced socialism or Fabian socialism which is barely disguised communism.

This state is one of two in India which have been run by communists for decades.

Kerala has alternated between a left-wing coalition(the Left Democratic Front - LDF) and a centrist to centre-right coalition(the United Democratic Front - UDF) for a long time. The current major communist party in Kerala, though ideologically Marxist-Leninist, is practically a social democratic one in its policies and actions.
Some years ago I was planning to set up subsidiary development centres in tier 2 cities, including Trivandrum.

My team - mostly from Kerala - came to me en masse and told me not to, and this was long before Nokku Kooli became a well known thing.

Don't know or care whether it was during UDF/LDF or whatever rule.

A couple of years ago a major clothes manufacturer, founded in that state, packed up and left.

A parallel from WB: Tata's moved their automobile factory to Gujarat, which has since then shipped over a million cars.

Worse. I experienced true undisguised communism.
India produces abundance of food and got vast fertile lands. Modern farming is good but its gonna wipe out tens of millions of jobs if its done in no time.
I don't know what you are on about. You have pivoted to politics needlessly.

Current administration is investing in renewable energy. You are making them seem climate change deniers.

Keep your politics to reddit.

I don't know what you are on about.

Your current administation stopped large offshore wind projects and uses the slogan "drill baby drill".

We are talking about India here...
Oops. I assumed it was about Trumpism. :)
While it's clear the parent poster was talking about another country, I'll add in the context of your reply: The current US administration is pushing low-carbon pro-nuclear energy which for one plant replaces hundreds of wind turbines.