23 Comments
Aug 26Liked by Jonathan Tonkin

Another great article Jono. It is so encouraging to see a diverse group of people getting together to try and solve the world's climate problems. It is the passion and dedication of such people like yourself that gives me great hope for the planet's future.

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Thanks very much, Kim! :)

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Aug 26·edited Aug 26Liked by Jonathan Tonkin

I thoroughly enjoyed this article. It is a refreshing, upbeat, and much-needed message of hope in the all-pervading doom and gloom about climate change. We need to step out of our silos. This article needs to be widely shared.

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Thanks so much, Arjun. Really appreciate that. Comments like this keep me going. :)

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Very glad to see this happening. I don’t know how popular interdisciplinary work is in New Zealand, but in Europe, especially in the last five years (if not a bit more), is becoming very popular, with many workshops, courses, even entire programs designed along its lines.

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Yes, definitely on the rise. Often it's multidisciplinary though. Lots of folks working alongside each other but not in ways that combine knowledge.

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Love the article. Made me really like the workshop, by proxy:)

The boundaries are alarming.

With the permafrost melting we're about to see a reinforced speed of change, I'm afraid.

As you've mentioned: the science is clear. In truth, it has been for decades now.

In my mind the question is now less about 'what do we know', but more about 'who' and 'how to increase the time spent as humanity on these topics'.

I'd argue it's very much about activation now.

We have the biggest pool of human talent humanity has ever seen. In absolute size, level of education and productivity.

I'd change a 25% improvement of scientific models or 25% increased academic understanding of these problems for a 0,25% increase in the amount of the world population getting their hands dirty on this subject, any day.

I'm confident workshops like these help achieve both. Keep up the good work!

ps: would love to know how a banker, private investor and entrepreneur would fit into a workshop like this.

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Thanks very much, Michiel! Really appreciate it.

Yes, we're definitely in the 'action' phase now. More science is always needed of course to improve our understanding of things. It's very uncertain. The more confidence we have in models, particularly forecasts, the more leverage we have for action. Earth system models are insanely complicated and we still have MAJOR uncertainties, but the relative outcome of things is very clear: if we don't take action, we're doomed.

Re: your last point. We ran the workshop as a team of active researchers and academics. But such a workshop could equally have such people involved. In fact, to reach transdisciplinarity explicitly (see my other post), various stakeholders etc. should be part of the process.

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Aug 26Liked by Jonathan Tonkin

The cynic in me thinks you are hoping for a mass Epiphany. Smart money is on a giant asteroid.....

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The cynic in me says the same thing. It's a big ask! One has to remain hopeful. And to try to instill hope.

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Aug 26Liked by Jonathan Tonkin

Not the legacy I want to leave.

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The crazy thing to me, undoubtably .the greatest economic opportunity in the history of legal tender. I'm surprised those with monster liquid capital havent monetized it.

All they know is rape and pillage.

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I agree completely free to the youth, ourselves, our forefathers, and the dynamic of revolutionary biology. 4 billion years and we're going to wreck it?

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Aug 26Liked by Jonathan Tonkin

Wonderful article!!!

I would like to address two things. I'm not sure about the nine planetary boundaries, but I know this. The tipping point of the unstoppable positive feedback loop has been tipped. Namely, the permafrost is melting. It contains the equivalent of 400 ppm CO2 in methane. We have one, and only one chance to mitigate a runaway, unknowable unimaginable, cascade effect. A really, really bad one. We do know that.

The only reprieve we have is to remove at least 2.5 trillion of the 3,5 trillion tons of carbon dioxide we have emitted. I would feel better if we took out 4 trillion.

The other topic I shall broach is "incentive"

It is the same both economically and politically. The sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere formed into available solid such as carbon fiber, nanotubes, architectural structure pieces.....

Is already there. At least one dozen companies are doing that sequestration for between 600 and $1200 per ton. Currently, quality carbon fiber goes for $32,000 per ton.

We must and I do mean MUST legislate the change. Absolutely ending extraction of fossil fuel and the aforementioned sequestration. Legislative mandates heavily incentivizing those two absolute prerequisites are the only way it's going to happen. When there is no other choice, you have to do the alternative. We know corporate mission statements aren't going to change. We know they can't regulate themselves. We know the masses aren't equipped with enough knowledge and temerity to make the change. The only path to that dynamic is a legislative mandate. I'm doubtful, We the People can get our shit screwed tight enough together to make that happen.

Thank you, so much. Your efforts are worthwhile, extremely well done and inspirational.

We are confronted with an ultimatum of the most extremities, concerning our immediate future. Long-term feature is already highly doubt.

This shall be our finest hour, or our demise.

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Thank you, Hudson! Appreciate your kind words. Yes, we must do everything we can, as fast as we can. No one fix will be enough, but everything needs to be on the table. The models are looking more and more dire. What the IPCC puts out is relatively conservative. Things could go much worse. Biological, technological etc. are all important. But so too is social change. Appreciate you reading and glad you enjoyed it.

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Aug 26Liked by Jonathan Tonkin

There are two ways in which legitimate models have been incorrect. Only two. The speed and real world consequence severity of change. Both significantly underestimated.

Personally, developing a deep appreciation for the absurd helps .....😉🙈✌️

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Aug 26Liked by Jonathan Tonkin

Life is short and uncertain. Live large.

Be well. Good is far overrated ......😏🤷‍♂️😬🤪✌️

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It's absurd that governments are doing so little, isn't it?!

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Aug 26Liked by Jonathan Tonkin

Who would've ever dreamed we would've had to fight our government to save the environment? Obviously, I was the dumbest guy in the room on that day...🤷‍♂️

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Aug 26Liked by Jonathan Tonkin

Nice one -- I have been to a great many workshops, some excellent and some useless. This sounds like all good advice. I've started reading the book "At Work in the Ruins", I thought of it when reading your preamble here -- you might enjoy it. By Dougald Hine a climate reporter.

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Thanks Kelly! Great to hear that. Will look it up. Thanks for the recommendation. Hope you're well.

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Encouraging to know that some people are still paying attention! Thank you for your work.

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My pleasure! Thanks for reading.

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