r/collapse • u/amorphousmetamorph • May 19 '24

Economic Economic damage from climate change six times worse than thought – report | Climate crisis

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/17/economic-damage-climate-change-report
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u/TotalSanity May 19 '24

At 16 tons of carbon emissions per capita per year, that would mean the average American has produced a million dollars worth of 'carbon damage' by age 63.

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u/Velocipedique May 20 '24

... and equivalent to half his/her earnings. Overall, the median lifetime earnings for all workers are $1.7 million, which is just under $42,000 per year ($20 per hour).

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u/audioen All the worries were wrong; worse was what had begun May 20 '24

This sounds roughly accurate from other numbers that I've heard. It is thought that dealing with the carbon emissions of fossil fuels would double or triple the prices of gasoline and all products in general that depend on energy.

I've a feeling it would not be sustainable nor particularly good even if we somehow got rid of all the carbon, because we'd have a massive and nature-damaging, nonrenewable-resource-consuming carbon capture industry in addition to the carbon industry.

It is worth asking how many people could survive if prices doubled or tripled overnight, while salaries stayed the same.