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Comment by lynx23 | Hacker News Reader

Regarding long-term rewards and global warming: What is the actual long term reward here? As I see it, there is no way to collect any sort of reward for helping to prevent global warming by changing your habits. Before the problem gets really problematic, most of us will be dead and burried. I fail to see how "caring for the future generation" has any kind of reward attached to it. Its an act of kindness, but there are no rewards attached to it.

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Probably a question to the guy above, but there is immediate psychological reward in any act of kindness or generosity (at least in healthy, thriving individuals).

However, OP argued that global warming is suffering from people NOT getting immediate rewards for their actions. Your argument basically says OP is wrong, and there is no need to counteract peoples tendency to prefer short-term rewards over long-term because they are supposed to get enough incentive by just knowing they have been kind. I doubt that.

What I think OP said, is that humans won't adapt to these challenges due to our biological limitations.

IMO humanity will adapt, and the first sign of this is that those problems are getting recognized and given more and more traction.

> Before the problem gets really problematic, most of us will be dead and burried.

The situation lies on a spectrum between "not problematic" and "really problematic".

There is actually plenty of evidence that tangible impact already started, independently of the perception of those whoe live in areas where the effect is neither perceived nor obvious.

For many people, feeling like one has exhibited kindness is a strong reward.

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