What does a second Trump term mean for climate action?

[@Hoffenboffen7]

Thanks Simon. As an American who works in climate tech, this result has really devastated me. It's really frustrating that my countrymen don't trust in experts anymore. This is a good reminder to not lose hope. We still have a long fight ahead of us and that just makes our work more important now

[@anguscampbell1533]

They trust a convicted felon and rapist con man but not hard working scientists. What a sad state of affairs.

[@jasoncdebussy]

Your countrymen clearly believe in the evidence and not in the so-called experts - the good old appeal to authority logical fallacy 🤣

[@meilinchan7314]

Don't lose hope. The question now is not what will be done to you but how we can respond.

[@jasoncdebussy]

​@@meilinchan7314What on earth are you talking about?

[@FinnA07]

@@jasoncdebussy The evidence (which is gathered through experiments by experts) clearly shows that humanmade climate change is a thing

[@Xob_Driesestig]

For me the most crushing thing was that he won the popular vote. With Hillary I could at least blame the electoral system, but here it's just the people.

[@ragingtothemax]

A lot of those votes Kamala didnt get were probably do to protest of people choosing not to vote for her for being complicit in genocide. She ran a very bad campaign to get new voters. Like there were just less votes (even less for trump) in geneal this year and it really sucks with how dire it was to vote

[@laMoria]

yeah, Trump won 74M votes of the 244M registered voters. That is 30% of the electorate. I don't call it wining the popular vote personally.

[@cbuck1669]

if you need an ounce of hope - he didnt actually win that many more votes than last time - the main difference is more people stayed home. also, due to the electoral college, more people in hard blue or red states were likely to abstain from the president vote in protest for palestine, knowing that their state would go blue or red either way.

[@technophobian2962]

It's more so Kamala's bad campaigning than the people. If your campaign is just adopting half the policy of the other side and not making any meaningful promises, why would anyone bother voting for you?

[@trevordillon1921]

That, in my opinion, is the wrong way at looking at things. Trump didn’t win the popular vote because he suddenly won over millions more voters. Trump won 74.2 million votes in 2020. There’s some counting left to be done, but he’s at 73.6 right now. Biden had 81.2 million. Harris has 69.3 million right now. That’s a loss of roughly 10 million votes for the Democratic party, and a negligible change for the Republicans. What do I think explains this? Economy message. The Democrats always have played soft with economics. They are, first and foremost, a party of liberal economics. Liberal economics is largely the reason that so many Americans are struggling to keep the lights on while corporations make ever greater profits. They never have done enough to do right by their constituents (partly, I suspect, because they are reliant on corporate funds for campaigns). The Republicans, just so I don’t get misunderstood here, will not improve the economy. Reaganomics practically destroyed what little economic freedom we had earned back from the power of industry. The plans put forth won’t do any better for us. But they have, at the very least, promised to hold corporations accountable, they have promised to make prices lower across the board. It was their primary campaign strategy throughout 2024, they attacked the economy under Biden. The Democrats put up a flimsy defense: the economy had, marginally, improved under Biden. But most Americans recognize that doesn’t actually matter very much, because the actual problem remains, and our future is just as dire now as it was 4 years ago. The Democrats said “look at all the good we did!” To the millions of the poorest Americans who have to regularly choose which bills to pay, and will be working until the day they die just to survive. The Republicans won the popular vote because the Democrats DID fail America. Basically nobody changed their mind on Trump between 2020 and now, but millions gave up on the Democrats, because for decades they have underpromised AND undelivered. If we don’t want to repeat this, we need to pressure them to step up.

[@domainofscience]

Thank you, I really appreciate your sober and knowledgable overview of this

[@megasdiadochi8298]

I am confused how musk went from a climate change fighting early proponent of electric cars to an alt right climate denier whilst still encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles?

[@mikhailryzhov9419]

He is not a proponent of electric vehicles, he is a proponent of taking government's money.

[@innoturtle4692]

Money 🤑🤑🤑

[@meganegan5992]

His daughter became trans, he got divorced, and his brain broke. It happens to a lot of people.

[@PinataOblongata]

The only thing billionaires care about is taxation. Proper taxation would prevent them from existing and spread wealth around. Corporate capture of the means of taxation (govt) via campaign funding means the billionaires simply buy favourable taxation and regulatory policy. It's the same reason you see large corporate campaign donations to both sides in every country.

[@Schinkeldink]

nothing corrupts like money. he was never very socially competent or showed any signs of empathy. He did radicalise himself over the last few years tho, from centrist (no side is right) to full blown fascist. Corona broke him apparently

[@trevinbeattie4888]

I noted the emphasis on _“If_ another election happens in four years”. This is something that worries me almost as much as climate change, and more than the prospect of US electing another climate-denying President and congressional majority next term. The policies proposed in the conservative mandate are frightening.

[@Winspur1982]

Project 2025 is frightening, but Trump's margins for achieving any of it are looking awfully thin now. I will also add that most of the scary stuff requires the military to do something for him, and while in a strict legal sense he will be Commander-in-Chief, without the broad respect of the military he is just a demented rat in the bureaucracy (We have had presidents like this before: e.g. Andrew Johnson) It's a very Game of Thrones-like scenario.

[@ollie2111]

Me too :( there really is no way of knowing if there will be an election for sure or not in 4 years given the circumstance.

[@nice3294]

Just discovered this second channel from this. I think hearing the news that emmissions will peak by the end of 2025 was something needed. Still a hard fight ahead but never a futile one.

[@theguildofthetranquilpine5360]

I’m an entomologist, and my main concern is environmental literacy, particularly among older adults.

[@doejersey]

Yea Simon. As a queer leftist American, I’m definitely feeling the lack of mental RAM this week. The one silver thread is that, assuming he doesn’t just dissolve the constitution, he’s only got 4 years of damage to do. And I don’t think he’s gonna leave the conservatives a popular position if everything he said comes to pass. What we need to focus on in America is grass roots organizing. And I don’t even know where to begin in my now red state.

[@elizabethyow1165]

About how you can organize, Try joining your local Sierra Club and/or Sunrise Movement chapter! (sunrise movement sounds best for you, but both organizations are great.) Also try center for popular democracy, and citizens climate lobby, there are chapters all around the country. 💚

[@joepugh678]

I could have written your comment myself word for word here in PA

[@Winspur1982]

I'm a gay leftist man in Milwaukee. I decided to run for alderperson here because my district is right now represented by nobody.

[@MisterCynic18]

He has spent 8 years already setting up for this. We already saw what him packing the supreme court led to, now he's filling the cabinet with his cronies and the court has basically declared the office of president a king. He even has a drawn out blueprint to guide him with project 2025. We are still feeling the repercussions of the Reagan era to this day, I am horrified to think of how far into the future the damage from The Trump era will stretch.

[@jarvsie]

The grass roots voted him in..

[@mr.matt.eastwood]

Thanks Simon! I needed this. We must carry on.

[@nyanko8972]

Can’t stop thinking about the climate repercussions to this election

[@artifactU]

i really hope dems dont shift right on this, but theyll probs shift right on everything

[@jarvsie]

There won't be any. Shifting weather patterns are perfectly normal and fcuk all to do with mankind. Plastic polution is more important...something we can do something about

[@PinataOblongata]

@@jarvsie You're a fucking moron science denier. Weather is not climate, that's why they're two different words, idiot. Actual climate scientists, some even working for fossil fuel companies as early as the 70s, have gathered mountains of evidence to show you are dead wrong and anthropogenic climate change is real. Anyone with half a brain knows this and you are part of a very dumb, wilfully ignorant minority, no different to flat-earthers, sticking their fingers in their ears whenever anyone shows them any evidence.

[@rdelrosso1973]

Don't worry. Trump said all this " CIimate Change / Global Warming" stuff is a hoax and he's always right. Right?

[@OneTheBlue]

@@jarvsie You're a climate change denier then?

[@idguy4rainbowpheonix]

One if the things I'm most frustrated by in regards to climate policies is that all the transport projects that had begun to gather momentum are biw essentially dead

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Which ones?

[@naomieyles210]

Not the ones in red states, which was most of them.

[@op4000exe]

If not 1.5, then 1.6, if not that, then 1.8 and so forth and so forth. There isn't really a "cross this line and we failed", but rather a "cross this line and this bad thing will happen". Climate change isn't a win or lose scenario, but rather a win harder, or lose harder scenario, so let's fight for every singular degree (or rather fraction thereof), that we can reduce the final peak to be at.

[@alanhat5252]

There *_IS_* a failure point, I think it's 2.0°C at which point we hit 50/50 whether human civilization will survive. Beyond that we return to the Stone Age & if it goes higher still we join the list of extinctions.

[@alanhat5252]

Climate isn't going to fracture the planet, it won't be another asteroid belt, all that's at stake is our position on the planet.

[@ScottAtwood]

Thank you for this! I have been in a dark place since last Tuesday, because it felt like an apocalyptic event for the climate. But realizing that decarbonizing power production has its own economic momentum, and that the US represents only a relatively small share of the total global emissions really allows me to retain some hope. The undeniable loss of 1.5º is a deep tragedy, but the fact that 2.0º remains in play give me optimism for the future.

[@luukscholten8155]

Thank you for your words. The Elections were like a kick in the nuts to me, especially because climate change has always been one of my largest concerns. Not giving up is a message I can get behind!

[@jarvsie]

What are you worried about> you me and the world have fukc all to do with shifting weather patterns.

[@lewisanderton8062]

It's such a relief to just hear the words "this isn't quite a doomsday scenario". An incredibly low bar, yes. There are far more things to worry about, yes. But I'll take any good news I can get. Hurray! The world won't explode. Probably. He does have the launch codes. -_-

[@JoshBurcham104]

So many people in this country seriously just do not understand anything about the climate situation. I was trying to explain to my mom why i was so devastated about this result and she was like "what do you think causes this so called climate change " and i tried to bring up fracking and the beef industry and she was just like "well people need to eat meat, so..." like wtf am I supposed to say to that. Wtf am i supposed to say when she says stuff like "you cant legalize morality " when i bring up the govt helping poor people. Wtf am i supposed to say when she says she doesn't want her tax dollars to go to trans kids treatments and rhe "horrible chemicals they are being subjected to". Wtf am i supposed to say when she talks about how more people are lgbtq these days cause "its pushed on us culturally". The propaganda machine has been working on her and much of the rest of this country so hard for so many years the whole thing just feel like a lost cause and I just mentally do not have the skills or drive to make even a dent in that armor. Its so disturbing to me for my generally sweet and well meaning family members having such disgusting opinions

[@Winspur1982]

I feel for you. My childhood best friend's parents (who are also sweet and well-meaning people) are still alive and probably believe all those same lies. It's really not our job going forward to educate them out of it. They have to feel real pain -- and there are many ways this could happen to them, including meat becoming too expensive to buy. I wonder how your mom would react to that. I'm a gay man and have 42 years of experience being told that I am unnatural and disgusting somehow. But it has gotten better because people protested for my rights and I did not retreat into a life of lies. So if you keep taking care of yourself I think there is a lot of hope.

[@alanhat5252]

Step away while you still have your sanity. 😢

[@markotrieste]

We are doomed.

[@Copyright_Infringement]

All we need to do IMO is explain to the powerful that greentech is useful for their grip on power, economically or energy-indepence-wise. If we do, we may be able to trojan a set of common-sense climate policies. The public transport this is truly an immense loss, but we were already on track to lose that battle tbh, and domestic EV manufacturing can make up some of the shortfall. There are paths forward, but they're just more unsavory than we might like

[@jarvsie]

Nearly all the Manufacturers are cutting back or abandoning EV production.A scam to enrich a few under the 'Save the Planet 'banner.

[@swaggery]

I personally don't think it will happen. Trump is very much about returning 100-10,000x returns to the people that donate to him in his campaigns above all else. And looking at the Canadian province of Alberta, they legally restricted solar panels and wind turbines from being installed, even though it would stabilize the energy grid, bring in lots of foreign investment, and create tens of thousands of jobs, all because they hate "climate change" that much. If there's political will, they will go against their and the population they represent interests until they get voted out of office.

[@ikani1]

You know, your video on the hypothetical "how the world mitigated climate change over the next century" covered that a lot of the push was from China, not the US, seems a bit more accurate!

[@mateocortes4148]

Thank you Simon. For the consice and informed take. I really needed the hope after wednesday.

[@MissyBeeeee]

It was therapeutic for me as well. Thanks Simon.

[@AZaqZaqProduction]

Considering the exponential rollout of solar, thank goodness these extra emissions are only cancelling out the last 5 years of renewables rollouts and not the next 5 years of renewables rollouts.

[@Killerfin100]

Hadn't thought of it that way

[@opnuul]

very eager to see how poorly the trump administration deals with the untold horrors of extreme weather their policies and those like it beget. very mournful for the death and destruction coming from us all as punishment of our collective unserious attitude about the largest problem we face in the modern age.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Aerosol Injection

[@frede1905]

My prediction: they are going to spread conspiracies like they did after Milton. Instead of realizing they were wrong about thinking climate change is a "hoax", they are going to claim the opposite; they will claim it was wrong all along, and that climate change was a big coverup for the real plan of gradually amplifying the government's control of the weather. In other words, they will claim all the extreme weather events in the future were all controlled by the government or the "deep state", and that the whole point of the "climate change hoax" was to shift the blame. I bet we will see people believing a conspiracy like this some time in the future.

[@frede1905]

My prediction: they are going to spread conspiracies like they did after Milton. Instead of realizing they were wrong about thinking climate change is a "hoax", they are going to claim the opposite; they will claim it was wrong all along, and that climate change was a big coverup for the real plan of gradually amplifying the government's control of the weather. In other words, they will claim all the extreme weather events in the future were all controlled by the government or the "deep state", and that the whole point of the "climate change hoax" was to shift the blame from their "real agenda". I bet we will see a conspiracy like this some time in the future.

[@jamesedwards.1069]

I'd expect a 3 year old to think that extreme weather would result from Trump being elected before he even gets inaugurated. If you're serious about understanding what's going on with the weather, research H.A.A.R.P.

[@kertchu]

He might launch a nuke to try and destroy a hurricane

[@Zeerick11]

Thank you for this! You're realism about this is actually really reassuring

[@ratitekeeper]

Good informative video - I am not sure how much you want to get into policies/politics, but these sort of videos (especially with alluring titles), would help channel attention here -- You are a great source of info. I would love to see more comparison between US and other country experience - again info you have that really needs to distributed.

[@opossumboyo]

I appreciate your optimism, Simon, but I simply cannot share it. The response to the climate crisis is a long-term issue. This election has shown that the american people do not have an interest in supporting the long-term solutions that are necessary, and both parties will see that. Democrats will move have to move farther right to gain back electoral support, and that means trimming “unsavory” progressive ideas. Climate policy will likely be one of them. Trends from the rest of the world also show that we are likely to see a similar political shift in other nations. We’re moving backwards at a time when we don’t even have the privilege of moving forwards at anything but a breakneck pace. Outside of taking direct action against the superorganism (which I do recognize you cannot advocate and keep your job) we will not be able to mitigate the worst impacts in our lifetime.

[@camelopardalis84]

The democrats could simply move to the left. Or, to put it more fittingly: Further away from the right instead of closer to the right. If voters have the options of "far right" and "far right light", they will either go for "the real deal" or abstain.

[@weelebaseknowles4410]

@@camelopardalis84u got to member America not a far left country u got to remember that

[@MisterCynic18]

@@weelebaseknowles4410 it's hard to tell when they have never been genuinely presented the option.

[@owenbelezos8369]

@@camelopardalis84 the problem with moving to the left is that they'll lose corporate support and thus significantly increase the obstacles to getting elected, as well, it would accelerate the neo fascist rhetoric by conservatives that democrats are "neo-Marxists."

[@SameWindowDifferentVisual]

This is my feeling. I appreciate the attempts to keep hope alive but I feel they're naive bordering on complacency. It's clear that nothing's going to change until mass suffering as a result of climate change begins and that terrifies me. It's not a good reason to stop trying of course, people ought to do what they can, but I feel it's time we start trying to be more realistic about this conversation.

[@Dohlenblick]

Thanks, good words to hear!

[@PootisHasBeenEngaged]

I think it’s important to note that even if we, as a society, overshoot all our goals and receive the worst impacts, there’s still a lot to be said for climate action. Albeit, it will only be downgrading a 300 year flood to a 100 year one instead of preventing it to begin with. Even if we lose hope, we still have responsibility I feel, to make the future as liveable as possible.

[@LeoKators]

Thank you Simon for everything that you do.

[@simonnorris8076]

Really handy analysis here Simon, answered a lot of the questions I've been wondering about

[@bzztbzztboy]

Hi Simon, we met at your talk for Physsoc in Oxford last year. My new college tutor is in AOPP. And all we can say is a big OH FUCK to the news - it's half of what we discussed during today's tute!

[@ThatTarkur]

I don't really agree with you on the fact that USA withdrawing from taking actions against climate change wouldn't cause others to do the same. Mainly because you have to consider that the US is a global superpower and usually as such they are trendsetters for other countries and would set examples for the rest of the world. That is my 5 cents though

[@markblonde4313]

Unfortunately blaming climate action for inflation is a popular talking point for conservative political parties. Trumps election is only going to amplify this message. For example, in Canada, the opposition party has made getting rid of our Carbon Tax the main plank of his policy and he’s almost sure to win once the minority government falls. I’m pretty sure he will pull Canada out of the Paris Accords. The dominoes are starting to fall.

[@seansmith3058]

​@@markblonde4313 I didn't think pretty Polly had the stones for that.

[@Winspur1982]

Mexico and Brazil are going in a VERY different direction from the USA (federally). As an American, I honestly don't even think of my country as a 'superpower.' We could not stabilize Afghanistan after occupying it for 20 years. We have not won a war since 1991. I think highly of our military but they will have their hands full maintaining their own dignity at home against MAGA extremists who hate them for being "too woke."

[@alanhat5252]

​@@seansmith3058let's hope you're right.

[@Arithryka]

"*if* another election happens in four years" **screams internally**

[@owenbelezos8369]

"Dictator on day one."

[@PinataOblongata]

Simon, you are sticking your head in the sand in the same way so many Americans have done. To think people will just do what "makes sense" or "is rational", including in terms of what makes economic sense to you, is to have completely missed the lesson from both of Trump's elections and how the powerful work in general. We still subsidise coal and oil and petroleum, while doing very little that makes real change on the renewable side. Why? Because multinational fossil fuel corporations already exist, are already very wealthy, and capture governments everywhere. A few exciting start-ups here and there, a few solar farms here and there - that is not going to cut it while these behemoths still tip things in their favour, regardless of where the economic incentives lie. To everyone else, it is a no brainer, but to right-wingers with zero moral compass and a personal wealth as their one and only god, they will happily toss rational action right out the window to keep irrational growth continuing.

[@jarvsie]

So tell us about the multi billion dollars solar farm in Nevada that's abandoned...

[@rustyshackleford1465]

Most people who disagree with you want real Green Energy, in the form of Nuclear. It's your own de-industrialization obsession that makes your platform untenable.

[@3D-Companions]

Nieve in the extreme. You climate change religion will destroy what has taken centuries of hard work hard to achieve. Civilisation will fail due to your minds. Do you believe the climate models ? Do you believe in Unicorns? Do you believe it takes more than 10 days to rig democratic election in certain democratic states?

[@micayahritchie7158]

@rustyshackleford1465 industries have literally grown while pivoting to solar wind and hydro man. The arguement you're making doesn't hold when you have literal evidence to the contrary

[@rustyshackleford1465]

@@micayahritchie7158 At the cost of so many vast wastelands full of un-recyclable solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, etc etc.

[@pjk9225]

Our mission is now to endure, build community, strengthen support networks, and make plans so when we do get a shot at changing things for the better, we can work FAST.

[@alanhat5252]

How many of your neighbours do you know?

[@lazzygnome4060]

I think you genuinely underestimate just how far Trump is willing to go to make money from the oil and gas industry. If they cut him a check, it doesn't matter if it's financially advantageous to build solar and wind, Trump will cut those things off.

[@mirandelf]

Agreed. He’s not rational, you can’t expect him to pursue things that are logical.

[@naomieyles210]

Trump can promote oil and gas, he can make it cheaper, but Trump is poorly placed to buy any oil and gas. The individual states do that, and most of the individual states are focused on their bottom line, i.e. Renewables frequently being the cheaper option.

[@leo_warren]

Thank you, Simon! It certainly feels like a pause of progress rather than the push forward we were hoping for. Fingers crossed that the economic argument will continue win out as ideology aside lower costs is something almost everyone can agree with.

[@thomasmarais5008]

Thanks for this. Threads the needle quite well

[@ON-zm5xj]

Thanks, Simon. I really needed to hear this. Wishing you all the best.

[@VenatorStellorum]

Thank you Simon for assuaging some of my fears as a climate-focused American voter. I will still keep doing my part and try to continue convincing other reasonable individuals here in the States to do their part as well.

[@jarvsie]

Just believe what you are told, and don't do any research.

[@glyngreen538]

This was therapeutic for me too! :)

[@aliensinnoh1]

Have other countries considered placing sanctions on any country that doesn’t lower its emissions by a certain threshold? The rest of the world economy together could force the US’s hand.

[@mathiassandbremeraunet8507]

Was waiting on a video like this. Carbon brief also published a Webinar on the topic which i would recommend

[@martinbruhn5274]

Maybe you could do a video about all of the various regional and local climate initiatives and policy frameworks, that exist in the USA, like the RGGI, the United States climate alliance, or the western climate initiative, together, with a quick overview of what it is, they do, how effective they are, where they are going, etc. Sounds like something, that will become increasingly important over the next 4 years.

[@charlidvds3296]

Aussie here. I’m certain this is going to push people to aid in decreasing gas immissions here, I know I am more since this could be a death sentence to many beautiful things here like our reefs.

[@jarvsie]

Your Great Barrier Reef is thriving and expanding..

[@charlidvds3296]

@ its not thriving at all nor expanding, coral is having to be replaced and it is on active watch. A lot of people in Australia are aware of it since it’s been a known and spoken about issue for years.

[@liftswithback4602]

Thank you for making this video. As an American, the results put me in a severe doomer mentality, so I appreciate how you put things in context. This election has convinced me to get more involved

[@Beckisphere]

This should go on the main channel :) imo. Good thoughts! Thank you for sharing

[@Oltoir]

@12:16. Big "if" there, I'm afraid.. Thanks for the video, even though it's not "proper" (It's much more proper than anything I can manage right now!) Keep up the great work. We all need it

[@jasonb111222]

I'd say that the new goal as to be 2 as we sail past 1.5 this year. However my experience with renewables is that we fail to reach these goals. I think at least 3 net by 2100 is most likely now, if not higher.

[@jarvsie]

Funny how the average temperature of the world has only risen by 1 degree since 1800

[@ElectricAlien577]

I think well hit at least 2 by 2050, and probably 5 by 2100, if not more. We may have already triggered multiple feedback loops at this point, but well have to wait a few years to see if the trend if the trend of accelerated warming continues.

[@patrick247two]

550 pm co2 by 2033 rather than the 460 pm you can expect if we followed the worst pathways. Trump is the new worst pathway.

[@daundredemars5028]

It’s important to remember he’s only in for 4 years as well by 2028 I’m certain it will be common knowledge that renewables are better than fossil fuels and there won’t be the same economic incentive to push for more fossil fuels

[@daundredemars5028]

Also Trump has mentioned being pro nuclear power which could absolutely help out long term

[@adambram]

I’m an American and am still in shock over the election. Not sure when that will end, but climate change is so frustrating because people here just don’t get the problem. I’m convinced that the only way we survive as a species now is some form of global governance. The climate agreements just have no teeth. The only way I see this getting solved is a global carbon tax where the money is used to decarbonize. Who knows if that would happen, but think it’s the only way.

[@Winspur1982]

I gave $5,000 of my money 18 months ago, when I was richer than I'd ever been in my life, to the Nature Conservancy. They buy land and try to "rewild" it, absolutely rejecting mining or drilling. They will continue to operate under Trump 2.0 THE END TIMES (to give this the appropriate Hollywood movie title). We don't need a global government to tell us to do this kind of thing. Yvon Chouinard led the way by giving away his billionaire's fortune to the cause. We can normalize doing it. People hate 401ks now anyway and more and more feel like they cannot count on living to age 100 to reap the benefits of saving every last penny.

[@Uri1991]

Is that a warhammer cabinet at the background? 🥰

[@TheLeontheking]

With many engineers (ie. people with a scientific background) joining the trump-camp, it's nice to see scientists who speak up against it. Not everyone has lost their mind apparently.

[@swiftlytiltingplanet8481]

Engineers are not climate scientists. Can engineers also perform heart surgery?

[@TheLeontheking]

@@swiftlytiltingplanet8481 That's not the point. They have a scientific education that should contain enough material to not become climate-denier, creationist, anti-vaccine or stuff like that.

[@swiftlytiltingplanet8481]

@@TheLeontheking Your post is ambiguous. I assumed you were talking about scientists talking against climate change.

[@punditgi]

Keep calm and carry on! 🇬🇧

[@weelebaseknowles4410]

Hope conservatives are reform party wins

[@simonnorris8076]

I actually quite enjoy this more free-form video Simon - I can imagine there are other topics - climate news etc - that would also do well with this kind of format.

[@naomieyles210]

Yes, I agree with you. I've just subscribed to this channel, too.

[@mewtwoinchernobyl]

The most important thing is to remember that the situation is serious but not hopeless. A better future is within reach, but so many refuse to reach for a better tomorrow because they believe it's out of reach. We are making progress, and denying the progress is as bad as denying the problem. Don't lose hope, take some time to regain your optimism and keep fighting.

[@davecgriffith]

Thank you Simon

[@MariaMartinez-researcher]

The States are not the whole planet. 💪

[@jacobperepolkin9993]

just the largest producer of fossil fuel pollution

[@blueredingreen]

It's hard to underestimate the potential effect the US has on the rest of the world, given their political, financial, military, social and trendsetting influence. Although the key word there is "potential". We shouldn't think things are hopeless, because they aren't. But we also shouldn't underestimate risks (which is a pretty big part of how the US ended up where it is, incidentally). We should just do what we can, and recognise risks and do as much as we can to mitigate them, without being overwhelmed by it. Maybe now is a time to focus more on there being hope, because a lot of people are feeling hopeless. But I'm always one to at least add caveats to try to make sure what I say is as accurate as possible, in every context (at least in public discourse).

[@Jaqaroo]

"...if another election happens in four years..." Yikes!

[@fredericoamigo]

Thank you for trying to shine a few rays of light into this dark dark period.

[@toadvine9264]

Well, a major economic downturn will test Jim Lovelock's and James Hansen's notions regarding aerosol masking, BIGLY

[@ollie2111]

Thanks for the info that not all hope is lost yet, even if its not exactly positive either. That the US is about 15% which is big but not *that* big to stop the possibility of global progress entirely. I needed to hear it, thanks Simon.

[@nighteule]

I'm really worried about loosening regulations causing habitat loss, and therefore causing extinctions of already precarious species

[@johnlengefeld197]

Simon. You are clearly very intelligent, and you know your subject matter. I have just now watched several of your videos and believe you may want to take more time in the area of communication. You and those who advocate for the same things you do come off as subversive to listeners who don't already feel the same way as you do. I don't see you doing a good job with changing hearts and minds in this video. Then again this is as you said "unscripted." If your audience are climate true believers, then carry on. If you are trying to move the vast majority of us who are either disinterested or skeptical, you need to work on it. When the "other side" numbers greater than your side, you have a lot of minds to change.

[@3991-m6u]

Well put, I think he would benefit from watching Vlad Vexler on here.

[@andrewharvey3282]

It depends on if the climate people are willing to give us their vote.

[@reluginbuhl]

I don't care what countries pledge! They just don't do what they say they will.

[@johnthomasriley2741]

We have gone from a party with a 10% commandment to addressing climate change to one with 0%. Bad news but not that big a shift.

[@Conus426]

Also, there are many companies and organizations in the US working towards lowering emissions, so my guess is that emissions in the US will still go down, even if the government will continue their plans for fossil fuel extraction or expand, even.

[@qbas81]

Let me guess: Nothing good.

[@Bb5y]

Thank you Simon. Thanks for the excellent educational videos on this subject. Your videos opened my eyes to climate change and educated me as to how media is played and manipulated into false equivalence arguments.

[@ReesCatOphuls]

2 year running average crossed 1.5C last week. (Copernicus era5).

[@matheusclarkson3358]

This helped a lot, thanks! ❤

[@megasdiadochi8298]

Also still waiting for an answer as to why we cant retroactively prosecute trump etc in future at the Hague. Or at least establish climate denial or climate damage as crimes against humanity and then retroactively prosecute people for it.

[@Petch85]

It is easier to be succesful when you allow yourself to move the goalpost. 😂 I don't understand people that say "we can still limit global warming to +2 C" (20 year average relative to 1990) not to mention +1.5 C. The temperatur change lags behind the CO2 emissions, if we stopped releasing CO2 tomorrow the planet would still keep warming until it finds it's new equilibrium. (have someone calculated what temperature change would be the new equilibrium with 420 ppm CO2 in the atmosphere? not to mention the other gasses?, would that even be less than 2C?) 2024 will still be the year we release the most CO2, and maybe 2025 will be the peak. Probably at >55*10^9 Tons... then we have to reduce this number. The first part will definitely be the easiest. But say we spend 10 year getting back to 1990 levels of emissions (that is 35 year, thus 3.5 times faster reduction than the average increase). Then we would be in 2035 and still emit 37*10^9 tons of CO2 every year. I don't know how much CO2 that will be in the atmosphere by then but an optimistic guess would be 440 ppm. So the temperatur would rice probably even faster than it does today, and we are already having a +1.5 C year. We can hope that 2023 and 2024 are outliers, and that 2025 will fall back to about +1.5 C, but we jumped from +0.6 to +1.0 between 2013 and 2016, so maybe +1.5 is just the new normal and we might stay there the next 5-10 years. Who knows. But I do not see a world where the next 20 years gets an average of less than +1.5C that is just way to optimistic for me. The last 10 year have be ~+1.0 C average, so if the next 10 year all stays at 1.5 C, then the last 10 years and the next 10 years will be +1.25 C average. So already the average of the next 20 years (2025-2045) might pass the +1.5 C. And the temperatur lags behind, so it will probably keep rising long after 2045. every ton CO2 saved is a good thing, but I feel like we are underestimating the consequences and that we are overly optimistic, and that this will make us due too little just as we have done too little since 1985. We knew we needed to reduce our CO2 emissions and since then we have increased CO2 emissions by 50% 🤦‍♂.

[@sarahloomis2034]

Hopefully, in 2 years we can take back congress and get back in the game. In the meantime, we can take collective and local action and cheer on the rest of the world.

[@SkaiKuutamo-dg9tq]

It may be a wise idea for us all to rapidly build dual power structures in our communities so we can actually push back against the incoming regime. Anark’s YT channel is a good place to learn about how we can do that! Godspeed everyone! 🌱

[@ProfLakitax]

Tldr: it’s not as bad as it could be. Thanks 🙏

[@oleonard7319]

3c isn't even in play anymore

[@roberthorn7181]

My first large scale climate change response was to get a first PHEV and solar panels during the first Trump administration. Later we got a second PHEV and just recently we shut down our home smokestack (chimney), by switching over to heat pumps for hot water and home heat. We consume negligible quantities of natural gas now for cooking. My response to Trump is to take personal action. A lot of Americans are stubborn that way. If you say we cannot have something like a reasonable climate policy, it makes us want it more. We need to create our own hope. We just lowered our thermostat 2 degrees. I resisted Trump 1.0 as hard as I could and will do the same for Trump 2.0. For everyone, remain hopeful.

[@discographetti]

can you do a video on data centers overuse of power and water?

[@OhWell0]

I'm sorry world, for myself, I am draining my retirement account and finding the most impact full use for the money. There will be no 2050 to concern myself with, if we don't come together and sort this mess out.

[@CosmicCells]

I also see the big problem that many countries look up to the US as a "role-model" or at least as an example on how to get stuff done (globally most powerful economy). Governments of less wealthy countries will look at this and say: "Why should we spend money on decarbonization and possibly hamper our economy when the US is doing the opposite, going all in full throttle oil and coal burning galore?" 1/6th of global emissions and it will soon be more... Same with individuals: "Why should I fly less when Trump is pumping out huge amounts of CO2 and people are actually voting for him and may continue to vote for such right-wing climate change deniers on a global scale?"

[@MrPaddy924]

I've never really been a climate optimist. It's much easier to take a positive position on the climate when choosing to view things through the narrow lens of physics or climate science, but the picture looks much more pessimistic when one factors in what we know about politics and the psychology of voting, as well as considering how people, historically, have acted in times of civilisational stress and hardship (rational thinking skills tend to dessert them). So the more the reality of our predicament hits home, the more irrational and bizarre decisions we can expect from the voting population (and indeed from the leaders of those countries without a functioning democracy). The world is about to get even more strange and unpredictable. But the election of Trump, I feel, is the final nail in the coffin of optimism. I read an article recently that asserted that Trump's re-election could serve to make the rest of the world more determined to take the necessary radical action, but I think that may be fanciful thinking. (I hope not, but suspect so). Welcome to our new, very grim, reality. By the way, 2 degrees is certainly not still in play. We are heading for at least 2.5, probably closer to 2.7 and maybe even 2.9 degrees of warming. A recent Nature poll of over 100 leading climate scientists suggested that the majority believe that 2.5+ degrees of warming is inevitable by the middle of this century, regardless of the measures we take in the meantime. Hansen et al's analysis in Global Warming in the Pipeline, which I regard as far superior and more realistic than the hopelessly optimistic IPCC projections, also suggest well over 2 degress of warming is already baked in.

[@Spectacurl]

I can’t be this positive when my country, one that has never explored oil, is now talking about oil exploration

[@laMoria]

I still think that the expansion of fossil fuel extraction will not be valuable. It's cheaper to put solar panels nowadays. But anyways, the US economical model is still shitty and Harris would never have been willing to overhaul it.

[@daemon4621]

First video I’ve seen of yours this was an amazing video. I was about to sub then I looked at the rest of your content. YOU DONT even do like. Video essays! This was an awesome vid you should do more. Still gonna sub. Hopeful more of your stuff hits the feed. Maybe I’ll gain a new interest in your regular content. But seriously. This was a great resource and had things I didn’t even know to be aware of.

[@camelopardalis84]

He has a regular channel titled "Simon Clark" in case you didn't know. But that's probably what you meant by "regular content". Your first sentence has me confused, though.

[@Knowledge_Seeker64]

Can you please make a few videos responding to the claims of Sid Smith and Nate Hagens when you get the chance? I’d love to see your take on their analyses of the environmental crisis.

[@alanhat5252]

What's the current significance of 1.5°C & 2°C? My understanding is that 1.5°C marks where it's 50/50 whether half the planet remains livable & 2°C marks 50/50 whether human civilization survives... I don't personally want to live in the New Stone Age 😢

[@flooooof]

it was hard for me to see how much my countrymen rallied behind such hate and violence this year and i fear for our future

[@JimmyD806]

Maybe it will mean that dummies will finally be forced to realize humans can't stop the Holocene interglacial.

[@Anastasisization]

Thanks for this video. I'm a CO2 researcher based in Germany, and I've been feeling a mixture of anger and sadness since the election. I definitely expected him to win, but I'm still angry. One silver lining I hope to come from this is that the US loses its position of global leadership. They haven't been the good guys for a very long time. If a bloc like the EU (or even China) can take up some of that leadership, then I think global climate action will actually increase. I feel sad for the poor in America, but I think this may be a long-term net positive for the world.

[@esterhammerfic]

I need videos like this at the moment. It's absolutely absurd to me that he continues to be elected.

[@JustusWeiss]

@SimonClarkErrata Where do you think we are in terms of tipping points? My understanding is that we have already passed some of them and there are certain tipping elements that release huge amounts of greenhouse gases and can trigger other tipping elements. I don't have a quantitative understanding of the amount of greenhouse gases, but apart from effects like less sunlight being reflected by glaciers, it looks like the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by these tipping elements could be anywhere from 10% to over 100% of what humans are currently emitting. With that in mind, it seems to me that we have crossed these self-triggering events and are now on a path where slowing our own emissions will slow climate change, but without new magic technologies to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, we will just keep heating up, even if we go to net zero today. I have been reading about the narrowing window of opportunity for many years. Have we reached the point where that window has closed?

[@maximilliancunningham6091]

Planet earth will be the final arbitrator of human survival. Not some imbeciles motivated only by ephemeral greed.

[@lapsusdemon6353]

I’m curious if this takes into account the likely rise of other far right parties worldwide? I can imagine a world in the next few years where more countries cut back on environmental regulations / decarbonization

[@NoidoDev]

The carbon emissions are going down globally? If we ignore India? They still built new coal power plants a few years ago. Last time I checked, Pakistan wasn't even part of the Paris agreement.

[@bunny_apocalypse]

Biden wasnt really better on climate?

[@likebot.]

He paid it lip service, but did carry on the trajectory of increasing crude oil production. At least in his heart and tongue he understood the peril of anthropogenic global warming.

[@xakaryehlynn4749]

thank god for someone smart to tell me the world isn't going to end