Recorded August 30 2023
Description
In this Frankly, Nate describes the Carbon Pulse – a one time massive consumption of fossil hydrocarbons at a pace millions of times faster than they were created. He outlines the many shapes that this pulse could take, as well as some shapes it will never take. Compared to previous carbon pulses that led to mass and minor extinctions, how does the modern pulse compare? What can what we know about ecology and human behavior tell us about the most likely paths into descent? Can thinking about these graphs on such grand geologic time scales help guide us away from the Precipice and towards a more Sapient Future?
Show Notes
00:00 – Graphs Shown in this Frankly
00:23 – The Great Simplification Animated Movie
00:25 – The Carbon Pulse
02:49 – Previous Extinction Events
03:55 – We are releasing carbon way faster compared to previous mass extinctions
04:50 – Normal Curve
05:24 – This carbon will never exist again on human time scales
07:34 – Debt allows us to use more energy from the future today
08:39 – S-Curve
15:51 – Ken Deffeyes – Peak oil
17:44 – Ice Ages
19:33 – Fossil Fuel Scenarios
20:38 – Countries’ recent increase in coal usage
Comments
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One of the better Franklys. Very clear, points well made.
Excellent video!
I suspect that the eventual shape of the pulse will be the “precipice”. Once the global carbon production and distribution system starts to falter, its mutual interdependencies with every other aspect of industrial production will mean a rapid collapse of production. Once fossil fuel production starts to significantly decline, everything falls apart.