I Stopped Being a Climate Catastrophist

Climate Risk: Catastrophe vs Manageable Crisis

• Many see the piece as part of a broader shift from “existential apocalypse” rhetoric toward “serious but survivable” framing, paralleling some high‑profile philanthropists.
• Others argue that “civilization-ending climate change” was always mostly a strawman; mainstream science has focused on severe disruption, not human extinction.
• There is confusion and disagreement over what counts as “catastrophic”: from trillions in damages and mass migration to billion‑death scenarios or total societal collapse.

Science, Models, and Expert Authority

• Critics say the article is largely uncited opinion, downplays risks like AMOC collapse, and cuts off analysis at 2100, ignoring centuries‑scale impacts.
• Others respond that climate science has unsettled aspects, so experts need to show their work more carefully.
• Thread includes disputes over whether climate science is “well established” or still strongly contested beyond basic warming.
• Some cite scenarios and paleoclimate (e.g., Eemian, Eocene) to argue against human extinction; others counter that speed of change and human infrastructure make historical analogies misleading.

Impacts: Sea Level, Food, Migration, Conflict

• Sea-level rise of 2–3 feet is called either “manageable but expensive” (retrofit ports, seawalls) or “off‑the‑charts disruptive” given coastal populations, island nations, and shipping.
• Food systems are a major fault line: some see yield declines but no evidence for global collapse; others stress that global shocks can’t be offset by imports and could drive hoarding, famine, and war.
• Past refugee crises are invoked as a small preview of potential climate‑driven mass migration and associated political extremism and violence.

Moral and Justice Framing

• Several commenters emphasize moral duties to future generations and to non‑human species, seeing mass extinction and degraded everyday nature as intolerable even if “the economy survives.”
• Strong focus on inequity: people near the equator and in poor countries are expected to bear the brunt while rich countries adapt and even benefit.

Communication, Politics, and Behavior

• Some blame past alarmist messaging for social “bullying,” polarization, and eventual loss of credibility; others say the public simply misread long‑term risk as near‑term doomsday.
• There is frustration that individual behavior (e.g., flying less) contradicts expressed concern, reinforcing calls for systemic tools like carbon pricing.

AI Hero Image and Perceived Quality

• The AI-generated hero image with “CLMATE” misspelled is widely mocked and used as a heuristic that the article and editorial process are low-effort or unserious.