We first need to realize the planet, meaning our life-support system known as the biosphere, is not going to be "fine" by any measure of the word.

Climate change and the degradation of the natural world are going to be humanity's existential crisis

If we stopped all emissions today, the planet would warm for at LEAST a century, and very likely closer to scales of millenia. CO2 lasts for hundreds of years in the atmosphere, and then only goes into other forms of the carbon cycle slowly over thousands of years (or never).

Firstly, there is a delay in air temperature increase. This means that the carbon already emitted will take 40 years to reach its full potential. This is largely due to the slow process of Earth's oceans warming. In many ways, we're feeling the emissions of the 80's right now.

There are feedback loops. As the planet warms, the oceans cannot absorb as much CO2. Methane, which works on scales of hundreds of years instead of thousands(but is much more effective at heating), will be released more and more on large swaths of land as time goes on.

Other feedback loops include deforestation and albedo effects, melting ice caps, and increasing water vapor which will only amplify the damage that has already been done.

Think about that: If we did the impossible and switched entirely to 100%, zero-emission, fictional renewables today and provided zero carbon footprint... We'd still be in dire conditions for generations to come.

Am I saying we don't need to invest in renewables? No. Am I saying we don't need to invest in carbon sequestration? No. Am I saying we don't need to vote, hold corporations accountable, and try to make changes on individual, cultural levels? Absolutely not.

What I'm saying is that it's very likely all of these things will be too little, too late, and that we will need to prepare for catastrophic consequences as they arrive. Mass migrations, food/water shortages, sheltering millions of people, generating energy and resources on localized scales could be the reality of the world within decades.

You can't implement these lofty ideas, mitigations, and proposals if the global economy collapses and everyone is struggling to keep it together. As time goes on, I'm more and more convinced the spectrum will lean towards this scenario.

Not trying to be a pessimist, but a realist. Buckle up for some rough fucking times ahead.