Not entirely true,
Many of the outcomes have been worse than predicted. We’re hitting milestones like 1.5°C decades ahead of when we were estimated to. The AMOC is on the verge of collapse, ice is melting faster, etc. So I wouldn’t say “exactly” what they predicted came true, it’s actually worse than predicted on average.
That’s very true. But I think that stems in part from the fact that some of the most prominent climate science (such as the IPCC report) features the consensus of many scientists. All climate scientists will agree on low estimates that we are very sure of. But there have been some models predicting faster increases of global temperatures than we have seen. If we would look at the average of scientific claims instead of the consensus, we might be more close to the truth.
Nevertheless, science has been pretty right overall. Of course, not exactly right, but that wouldn’t fit in a meme.
I think another large part of it is that we can’t take into account the actual emissions before they happen. In some cases emissions have increased rather than decreased.
We can estimate how much methane will be released by thawing permafrost but we can’t know for sure until it happens, we can estimate how much CO2 will be absorbed and released by seawater every year, but that can change based on environmental factors and saturation.I also wonder how much pressure is put on climate scientists by governments to under report or misrepresent findings.
But didn’t you know Al Gore said something inaccurate about climate change in 2011?!?
High five for a proper Gru meme.
Climate science denialism is nothing new. It has been going on for decades. The Greenhouse effect has been known for more than 100 years. There have been urgent public warnings from scientists for more than 40 years. Right now, science warns that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) will break down (link). If we carry on like this, it will be a question of when, not if. This is just one example. Each example should cause immediate global political action. Instead, we’re living the meme.
Once again: Posting and liking memes is great, but real change comes from actions. If you are as concerned as we are about climate change, please consider joining or supporting climate activists near you.
My biggest problem these days is the scale of changes that must happen quickly, and the intrinsic resistance or outright hate for the easily known ways we could cut emissions and further oil exploitation - but the stupids won’t let us. They won’t even consider it. They argue that windmills cause cancer. They want to tax renewable power sources and EVs. In Texas, they pay cryptominers to not cryptomine MILLIONS OF DOLLARS when their shoddy grid starts gagging on texas summers, winters, and well, the rest of the year. It’s a hideous distortion of power services, and only one tiny example of places where we could legislate and reduce consumption. Rolling coal, cruise ships, recreational vehicles from RV’s to dirt bikes to snowmobiles - if it’s not for work, cut it out. We could do this today, we’re just too lazy and willing to let the stupids drive the environment to destruction.
I agree. We’re in a dire situation for a multitude of reasons. But one of the most important drivers for actual change is human agency. There is still a bit of hope to avoid the greatest catastrophies but we need to loudly demand change.
Hope springs eternal.
