Is climate change the greatest threat facing humanity today? (Article) from 80k After Hours

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Is climate change the greatest threat facing humanity today? (Article)

1 hour 2 minutes Posted Jan 11, 2023 at 10:06 pm.

Section heading: Summary

Heading: Our overall view

Section 1: Could extreme climate change directly lead to the extinction of humanity?

Heading: How hot could it get?

Tipping point #1: The runaway greenhouse effect

Tipping point #2: Cloud feedbacks

Tipping point #3: Methane clathrates

Tipping point #4: Melting permafrost

Heading: Summing up: what is the range of possible temperature increases from climate change?

Graph: possible temperature changes

Heading: Could climate change simply make it too hot for humans to survive?

Heading: Could the world sink under water?

Heading: Could climate change destroy global agriculture?

Heading: How would extreme climate change affect biodiversity?

Heading: Summing up: why climate change almost definitely won’t directly cause human extinction

Section 2: How climate change could cause extinction indirectly anyway

Heading: Climate change will likely increase migration, which could lead to instability

Heading: Will climate change increase global conflicts?

Heading: Climate change could make society less stable in other ways

Heading: Summing up: how climate change makes global catastrophic risks worse

Section 3: What about global catastrophes that aren’t extinction?

Section 4: How else could climate change affect the long-term future?

Section 5: Should you work on climate change or another global issue?

Heading: Reasons to work on climate change

Heading: Reasons not to work on climate change

Section 6: What are the best ways of working to solve climate change?

Heading: Some considerations to help you figure out what to work on

Heading: Reducing net greenhouse gas emissions — especially through green tech innovation

Heading: Research into carbon removal technology (but not solar geoengineering)

Heading: Research on extreme risks from climate change

Heading: Want to work on reducing risks to humanity from climate change? We want to help.

Section 7: Key questions we’re unsure about

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Show notes

In this episode of 80k After Hours, Perrin Walker reads Benjamin Hilton's problem profile on climate change.

Here’s the original piece if you’d like to learn more.

You might also want to check out CarbonBrief, which has a range of excellent content and updates on climate change.

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type 80k After Hours into your podcasting app.

Editing and narration: Perrin Walker
Audio proofing: Katy Moore

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