Is Climate Change Inevitable?

THNKR is honored to present excerpts from the WWW conference. The WWW conference, created by author, architect, and TED founder, Richard Saul Wurman, generates compelling conversations by pairing "amazingly interesting individuals prompted by a question."

In this WWW conversation, atmospheric scientist Joshua Wurman and oceanographer David Gallo discuss the consequences of climate change and the viability of various solutions.

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[JamesBiggar]

4 billion, to be exact, and every variable played a role.

[dannygjk]

This is all moot anyway the snowball is rolling down the hill and it is too big to stop.

[TJBDBand]

"We're the United States, we're a nice rich country" < LOL

[sgthork]

He agrees that humanity and our ecosystem are not at risk. The next thing he says is "We're heading into unknown waters". How can you know we're not at risk when we're headed into the unknown?

[JamesBiggar]

Of course. Change is the nature of the universe. Compounding extremities is the nature of humanity

[jean-pierredevent]

In theory "we " can do a lot of things but "we" are not in control. So nothing will happen because "they" don't want it. So what happens, what is coming?? People in poorer countries will suffer from flooding, heat waves, droughts the most but as long as they stay where they are, it's not our problem. Heat waves, droughts, fires, failing crops will hit the west more and more but of course we can adapt more or less. By the time people start to suffer here too very hard it will all be much too late but well, we accepted that happily.

[weirdshibainu]

Global change happens. The question is, how much are industrialized nations willing to give up to "affect" change? Do people think that if the united states really turned back the dial that China and India will? No way. How many people are really willing to give up cars for public transportation? Not many. If they impose a huge carbon tax, it will slow the global economy. Quite the conundrum.

[SomeRandomPictures]

The climate will change no matter what we do or don't do, just the rate differs, when this periods end, with or without oil, we will have tropical climate almost everywhere and that is a scientific fact.

[gerardrbain]

Although our species, as a whole, may survive a radical change in the climate; I fear the upheaval, due to diminished access to resources, will be catastrophic.

[JamesBiggar]

Yep, but natural cycles weren't compounded by an "industrial age" of toxic mass pollution.

[godonlyknows]

Jesus Christ... First episode of Terra Nova, that's gunna be earth.

[dannygjk]

Boi on the left your sneakers have a huge carbon footprint as far as manufacturing is concerned. Plus you paid way more than they are worth.

[PrincessTS]

yes absolutely, the ice cap at the north pole will be 100% gone in the next two years.

[SomeRandomPictures]

Can they please take research into how the climate would have became warmer if humans weren't on the planet? because that surely would have happened, because after all we're still in the end of ice age.

[jbbrwockye]

OMG we will servive there is no problem? these guys are VAPID

[salmasidki]

How many water metaphors did david gallo use? :)

[boosomentity]

how do you know this, have you been there?