[Biosphere Collapse] 420 days of blazin' it

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > [Biosphere Collapse] 420 days of blazin' it

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(Thread IKs: Stereotype)

Wakko: Jun 9, 2002; Faboo!

Turtle Sandbox posted:

We must all accept that humanity will never do anything about climate change.

sure sure. we must all accept that yeast will never do anything about converting starch to sugar too i guess? do you read this thread at all my dude, humanity is going to do a ton about climate change. humans are going to make it happen so fast. the best and hottest hothouse earth you've ever seen. just incredibly hot.

edit: :synpa:

# ? Mar 28, 2022 02:28

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# ? May 25, 2024 13:54

Mike the TV: Jan 14, 2008; Ninety-nine ninety-nine ninety-nine; Pillbug

500excf type r posted:

I did a paper for a material science class on Teflon but focused on engineering ethics because just about everything DuPont did WRT Teflon is gross af.

The employees had to take heated chunks of Teflon from one place to another by hand and would get sick as hell from the vapors and called it the Teflon flu.

They found they got less sick if they held it farther away from their bodies so that's how they dealt with it.

DuPont conducted secret experiments poisoning employees to figure out the dangers and dosages.

They also had the employees and their families go to special company doctors to secretly monitor and test them.

DuPont keeps their decommissioned plants staffed with a skeleton crew and will for the rest of time because then they don't have to pay fines for the insane amounts of pollution.

I know people from Parkersburg and half the women have unknown thyroid diseases.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 04:58

BIG HEADLINE: Jun 13, 2006; "Stand back, Ottawan ruffian, or face my lumens!"

It's okay. Only inbred duPonts are actually people to the duPont family. Everyone else are just servants.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 05:30

toggle: Nov 7, 2005

more rain for south east queensland at the moment. i've had 100mm since 10am, and hasn't stopped

lmao

# ? Mar 28, 2022 05:39

Buck Turgidson: Feb 6, 2011; 𓀬𓀠𓀟𓀡𓀢𓀣𓀤𓀥𓀞𓀬

Hubbert posted:

you wanna know where i got these glacial scars?

# ? Mar 28, 2022 06:19

God Hole: Mar 2, 2016

glad we got the big budget hollywood movie about the weird dupont who liked wrestling and not any of the other duponts who poisoned the entire human race

# ? Mar 28, 2022 06:29

Ferdinand Bardamu: Apr 30, 2013

God Hole posted:

glad we got the big budget hollywood movie about the weird dupont who liked wrestling and not any of the other duponts who poisoned the entire human race

uh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Waters_(2019_film)

# ? Mar 28, 2022 07:28

munce: Oct 23, 2010

toggle posted:

more rain for south east queensland at the moment. i've had 100mm since 10am, and hasn't stopped

lmao

it's cool, just normal megaflood season behaviour. just drive your motorhome to higher ground

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-28/nsw-northern-rivers-on-edge-amid-new-flood-threat/100944398
'Life threatening' flood, evacuation warnings raised for NSW Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast
A flood watch has been issued for four rivers in northern NSW, much of which is still in recovery mode
Some people rendered homeless by recent flooding in Lismore have had to move their motorhomes to higher ground

also

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-28/climate-change-risks-billions-of-dollars-of-coastal-property/100943830
Tens of billions of dollars' worth of property facing climate and erosion risk, analysis shows

# ? Mar 28, 2022 07:47

stringless: Dec 28, 2005; keyboard ⌨️ cowboy

munce posted:

Tens of billions of dollars' worth of property facing climate and erosion risk, analysis shows

unexpected benefit of the whole property value horsehit: new record numbers for property damage

number indeed go up

# ? Mar 28, 2022 07:55

Tempora Mutantur: Feb 22, 2005

WaryWarren posted:

uh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Waters_(2019_film)

drat I glad they only did it to one town and everything turned out ok

# ? Mar 28, 2022 09:33

Minera: Sep 26, 2007; All your friends and foes,
they thought they knew ya,
but look who's in your heart now.

oh, so they don't break down? well how harmful could they REALLY be. things in your body are only bad if they break down into, like, arsenic.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 09:41

Buck Turgidson: Feb 6, 2011; 𓀬𓀠𓀟𓀡𓀢𓀣𓀤𓀥𓀞𓀬

munce posted:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-28/climate-change-risks-billions-of-dollars-of-coastal-property/100943830
Tens of billions of dollars' worth of property facing climate and erosion risk, analysis shows

No poo poo lol. that's not even mentioning the regional areas which are going to get even more hammered by fire, floods, and who knows what else (insurance premiums probably)

# ? Mar 28, 2022 09:46

Xaris: Jul 25, 2006; Lucky there's a family guy
Lucky there's a man who positively can do
All the things that make us
Laugh and cry

in a hypothetical future that was somehow still functioning, future medicine profession will be going like 'wtf were they thinking' about all the plastics and poo poo we've been dumping into ourselves and the planet, like what we do with drinking radium, arsenic eyeliners, mercury-creams, leaded lipstick, asbestos, or leaded gas

fortunately we don't have to worry about future humans looking back on how stupid we were

# ? Mar 28, 2022 09:49

God Hole: Mar 2, 2016

WaryWarren posted:

uh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Waters_(2019_film)

ah I stand corrected. though I had no idea this movie existed whereas it seemed like there was an entire news cycle dedicated to Steve Carrel's prosthetic nose for Foxcatcher

# ? Mar 28, 2022 14:10

Hubbert: Mar 25, 2007; At a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

https://www.salon.com/2022/03/27/plastic-pollution-could-make-much-of-humanity-infertile-experts-fear/ posted:

Research suggests plastic pollution is causing dropping sperm counts � and could also be unstoppable - Matthew Rozsa - published March 27, 2022 2:00PM (EDT)

Since the start of the 2020s, humanity has faced worldwide calamity after worldwide calamity, all of them raising questions about our survival as a species. The COVID-19 pandemic has already claimed millions of lives and not yet finished its rampage. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised the specter of nuclear holocaust, which many assumed has subsided with the end of the Cold War. Even as these problems worsen, climate change continues to quietly creep along in the background, overheating the planet for future generations.

Yet what if, on top of all these things, there is an even more dystopian crisis in the offing � one in which humans are no longer able to reproduce without artificial help because we have filled the environment with chemicals that have altered our bodies?

Scientists believe this is not only possible, it is likely to happen within our lifetimes.

Understanding why involves three statistics: First, that a human male who has fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter is considered infertile; second, that in the 1970s sperm counts in Western countries (where there is available data) showed an average of 99 million sperm per milliliter; and third, that this number had dropped to 47 million sperm per milliliter by 2011. Scientists agree that plastic pollution is a likely culprit.

The trailblazer here has been Dr. Shanna Swan, a professor of environmental medicine and public health at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, whose most famous book has a conveniently self-explanatory title: "Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race."

The main culprit is believed to be chemicals within everyday plastics known as endocrine disruptors. These chemicals, including a range of phthalates and bisphenols, are literally inescapable. They can be found in the dishware, food cans and containers from which you eat your food, and in the water bottles and other plastic receptacles from which you drink. They are in virtually all of your commonly used household electronics, your eyeglass lenses, your furniture and even on any commercial receipts that come from a thermal printer. Because endocrine disruptors are in pesticides, they have also entered the foods that we eat thanks to the agriculture industry. Even without pesticides, though, we would still wind up eating these endocrine disruptors. Microplastics � that is, plastic particles which are five millimeters or less across or in length � have entirely covered the planet. Animals accidentally eat microplastics all the time and plants regularly absorb them through their roots. Humans themselves ingest the rough equivalent of a credit card's worth of plastic each week.

"First society needs to identify and agree we have a very serious problem; this takes time like climate change," Bjorn Beeler, international coordination at IPEN � International Pollutants Elimination Network � told Salon by email. "Scientists knew in the 1970s/80s climate change was coming due to [greenhouse gas] emissions, and now we are discussing adaptation and climate crisis 40+ years later (late). So to curb the threat, we need to define the problem, then turn off the toxic chemical tap."

Even if that happens, however, there is so much plastic everywhere that humanity simply cannot escape at least some of the consequences from this constant exposure. Swan told Salon by email that federally funded assisted reproduction technology � something currently provided in only one country, Israel � will help in making sure that people impacted by this pollution can still have children.

"Disadvantaged communities are more highly exposed to risky chemicals and they are more affected (on average) by the same level of exposure," Swan wrote to Salon. "So, it's a 'triple whammy' for these communities."

John Hocevar, the Oceans Campaign Director for Greenpeace USA, explained to Salon by email that "reduced sperm counts and other reproductive ailments disproportionately impact low income communities and people of color. Poor communities are more likely to be located closest to incinerators and landfills, as well as refineries. Access to expensive treatments to compensate for reproductive health issues are not equitable today, and even with an optimistic view of the US political landscape it is clear that this problem is not going to go away any time soon."

Not surprisingly, the plastic industry and others that rely on these chemicals dispute that the endocrine disruptors are responsible for the drop in sperm counts. As Beeler pointed out, they will provide alternate data just like industries do when they dispute the validity of climate science. Hocevar added that plastic companies also have an advantage because plastics are so pervasive that "it is difficult to design controls where plastic can be excluded as a factor. The plastic industry uses this terrible situation to try to claim that we don't have enough evidence to be sure that these chemicals are dangerous."

And, to be clear, there are other factors that no doubt contribute to fertility issues for both men and women: Obesity, smoking, binge drinking, stress. Still, the science about endocrine disruptors is clear.

"Chemicals in plastic (phthalates, bisphenols and others) as well as pesticides, lead and other environmental exposures are linked to impaired reproduction including sperm count and quality," Swan told Salon. "Some, like phthalates and BPA, have a short half-life in the body (4-6 hours), so it is possible to reduce the body's exposure if we can stop using products containing these." At the same time, society will have to exercise collective will and make sure that the most vulnerable among us are not left behind.

"Low-income communities can't afford to 'buy their way out' of the problem by purchasing organic, unprocessed foods, safer cosmetics etc. (which are more expensive)," Swan explained. "But the 'mass infertility scenario' is a threat to everyone (not just the disadvantaged)."

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:10

Karach: May 23, 2003; no war but class war

The Last Man is alive today, and he's about 12% plastic by weight.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:15

mediaphage: Mar 22, 2007; Excuse me, pardon me, sheer perfection coming through

she's been pushing this for a while, and there's still no real evidence directly linking plastics to the drop in sperm counts. i'm absolutely not denying the possibility, but these headlines are always so funny in breathlessly reporting the link when there's still no great data for it. iirc she's also pushed the line "by 2050 sperm counts will be zero!!!"

there are lots of other pollutants that could be just as easily responsible imo

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:20

Hubbert: Mar 25, 2007; At a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

mediaphage posted:

she's been pushing this for a while, and there's still no real evidence directly linking plastics to the drop in sperm counts. i'm absolutely not denying the possibility, but these headlines are always so funny in breathlessly reporting the link when there's still no great data for it. iirc she's also pushed the line "by 2050 sperm counts will be zero!!!"

there are lots of other pollutants that could be just as easily responsible imo

fill me up with every possible common industrial pollutant, just to be sure

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:21

mediaphage: Mar 22, 2007; Excuse me, pardon me, sheer perfection coming through

Hubbert posted:

fill me up with every possible common industrial pollutant, just to be sure

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:22

T-Paine: Dec 12, 2007; Sitting in the Costco food court unmasked, Bible in hand, reading my favorite Psalms to my five children: Abel, Bethany, Carlos, Carlos, and Carlos.

I loving hope sperm count drops to zero and we can end this whole experiment before we destroy all life on Earth

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:22

Iron Crowned: May 6, 2003; by Hand Knit

I'm cool with shooting blanks

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:22

Jabronie: Jun 4, 2011; In an investigation, details matter.

Suddenly the guy cumming in jars doesn't seem so crazy now, huh?

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:25

endlessmonotony: Nov 4, 2009; by Fritz the Horse

If y'all just accept the microplastics into your heart there will be no need to worry.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:27

blatman: May 10, 2009; 14 inc dont mez

i bought a vasectomy like 2 years ago i wonder if i can get a refund if we're in a children of men situation

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:28

Karach: May 23, 2003; no war but class war

I like a shot of a clopyralid/MCPA-based herbicide in my coffee, which I drink out of a battered cup made of bisphenol A. I don't feel any immediate effects, so it's probably fine.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:30

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

blatman posted:

i bought a vasectomy like 2 years ago i wonder if i can get a refund if we're in a children of men situation

you thought you got a vasectomy, but in fact you just had an injection of a superconcentrated microplastic solution. it's the vasectomy alternative THEY don't want you to know about

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:31

TehSaurus: Jun 12, 2006

quote:

"First society needs to identify and agree we have a very serious problem; this takes time like climate change," Bjorn Beeler, [huge idiot] at IPEN

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:34

Mameluke: Aug 2, 2013; by Fluffdaddy

just to be clear - i am begrudgingly acceptant of the idea of "life-as-Children of Men", i am still NOT okay with "life-as-that-short-story-where-we're-all-plastic-golems-and-a-dog-dies"

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:34

blatman: May 10, 2009; 14 inc dont mez

TACD posted:

you thought you got a vasectomy, but in fact you just had an injection of a superconcentrated microplastic solution. it's the vasectomy alternative THEY don't want you to know about

honestly as long as it still keeps my cursed bloodline in check im fine with whatever

inject an entire shredded coke bottle in there if it'll work, it's still probably less plastic than i eat in a year anyway

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:35

TehSaurus: Jun 12, 2006

I bet the plastic eating bacteria that are the only living thing left on the planet in 1000 years will have fascinating biology.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:43

Harry Potter on Ice: Nov 4, 2006; IF IM NOT BITCHING ABOUT HOW SHITTY MY LIFE IS, REPORT ME FOR MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN HIJACKED

For all those being held back by an inferior measuring system.. 5mm is huge, about 3/8ths of an inch. Very visible

# ? Mar 28, 2022 15:53

Perry Mason Jar: Feb 24, 2006; "Della? Take a lid"

Harry Potter on Ice posted:

For all those being held back by an inferior measuring system.. 5mm is huge, about 3/8ths of an inch. Very visible

Yup and, this is my understanding, its about average for men.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 16:21

Struensee: Nov 9, 2011

Harry Potter on Ice posted:

For all those being held back by an inferior measuring system.. 5mm is huge, about 3/8ths of an inch. Very visible

But enough about your penis.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 18:14

Mayor Dave: Feb 20, 2009; Bernie the Snow Clown

T-Paine posted:

I loving hope sperm count drops to zero and we can end this whole experiment before we destroy all life on Earth

CSPAM STANDS ALONE

# ? Mar 28, 2022 18:26

Stereotype: Apr 24, 2010; College Slice

I spent all night arguing against people on Reddit who think it�s okay to bulldoze 10 acres of dense jungle in hawaii. these are people who have previous posts decrying development, but are okay because this is for �low income retirees�. it was so easy for this developer to trick them into giving up even more nature. I�ve been accused several times of being �paid off by the sierra club�

we�re a dangerously stupid species and it�s a good thing we won�t last much longer.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 19:02

Trabisnikof: Dec 24, 2005

Stereotype posted:

I spent all night arguing against people on Reddit who think it�s okay to bulldoze 10 acres of dense jungle in hawaii. these are people who have previous posts decrying development, but are okay because this is for �low income retirees�. it was so easy for this developer to trick them into giving up even more nature. I�ve been accused several times of being �paid off by the sierra club�

we�re a dangerously stupid species and it�s a good thing we won�t last much longer.

Especially because the Sierra Club would probably support the development, it is a market based solution after all!

# ? Mar 28, 2022 19:03

The Protagonist: Jun 29, 2009; The average is 5.5? I thought it was 4. This is very unsettling.

listen if market-based solutions can't save us nothing else will either

it is insufficiently profitable to prevent extinction

# ? Mar 28, 2022 19:09

Dick Valentine: Nov 4, 2009

Stereotype posted:

I spent all night arguing against people on Reddit

Stereotype posted:

we�re a dangerously stupid species

# ? Mar 28, 2022 19:24

Stereotype: Apr 24, 2010; College Slice

yeah but if I argue with them enough they�ll surely change their minds.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 19:31

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# ? May 25, 2024 13:54

IAMKOREA: Apr 21, 2007

mediaphage posted:

she's been pushing this for a while, and there's still no real evidence directly linking plastics to the drop in sperm counts. i'm absolutely not denying the possibility, but these headlines are always so funny in breathlessly reporting the link when there's still no great data for it. iirc she's also pushed the line "by 2050 sperm counts will be zero!!!"

there are lots of other pollutants that could be just as easily responsible imo

Well I don't think it's necessarily the actual polymers like polyethylene but all the loving weird poo poo they put in it to give it better rheological properties like BPA, etc... That's what the article said too.

Anyway now I'm curious about getting my sperm count tested to know how loaded up with microplastics I am.

# ? Mar 28, 2022 19:38

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