Looking at a 6 degree world – optimist or pessimist?
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Having read too many books on climate scenarios I will probably not read Mark Lynas new book “Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet”, but he is a sympathetic person from what I can judge from the few interactions we’ve had. The recent interview in Wired is an example of how he manages to raise the most fundamental issues in a way that hopefully people can digest. It is about our view on humanity and maybe also how you live your own life.
“WN: You wrote in the introduction that you were surprised to discover that some people find this subject matter incredibly depressing. You don't get depressed by this?
Lynas: Everything from 2, 3 degrees upwards is a "what if" scenario. When people come to me and say that they stopped reading at 4 or 5 degrees because it was getting too depressing, I say, "But you shouldn't be depressed, because that may never happen. There's still something you can do about it!"
Whether you get depressed depends on how likely you think this is to happen. It comes down to your view of humankind. If you think humans are innately selfish, that they don't care about the future and just care about driving flashy cars, then you're going to get depressed. If your view of humanity is that we're an intelligent species, that we can come together on an international basis and find solutions to this problem that include all the world's people, then you'll have more hope. It depends on your personality, and on your politics.”