alt Hacker News10 years from now:
Climate Activist: The oceans are getting warmer & global currents are threatened by imminent collapse - we must do something! Big Oil: Prove it! Climate Activist: Data gathered between 2016 and 2026 shows ... Big Oil: That's old news! Do you have more recent data? Climate Activist: Well, no, because Trump2 dismantled the ocean observation system in 2026 ... Big Oil: So you have no data to back up your claims? Climate Activist: Not recent data, no, but ... Big Oil: Case dismissed! Why should anyone take action based on subjective opinion, not backed up by hard data? For all we know the oceans could have miraculously cooled & the currents are fine!
Replies
Climate activists 40 years ago: crisis! panic!
Climate activists 30 years ago: crisis! panic!
Climate activists 20 years ago: crisis! panic!
Climate activists 10 years ago: crisis! panic!
Climate activists yesterday: crisis! panic!
Climate activists 10 years from now: crisis! panic!
Climate activists 20 years from now: crisis! panic!
Climate activists 30 years from now: crisis! panic!
Climate activists 40 years from now: crisis! panic!
If the data is that important & valuable, then they should have no trouble getting the funding to keep it operational.
It's mostly just about getting the data out of the news cycle. If you don't have new data on the oceans warming then there's no news story, so less pressure on Big Oil to greenwash their industry.