climate change news; as bad as I knew, but still...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course those indoor options will just accelerate the problem.

I sort of feel like anyone that is not studying science to solve this is probably wasting their education. I haven’t convinced my kids of this yet though.

I also feel like we need a major shift in societal norms. 100 years ago, it was considered totally okay to spit in the street: smoke; wear furs from endangered animals; kill elephants for their tusks; make little children work in your factories; use racist terms and openly segregate based on race…..all of these things would more or less make you a social pariah now.

When is it going to be considered social suicide to air condition your office to 68 degrees in the summer; to fly to Paris for a weekend trip; to rip out your whole kitchen and replace it because you got bored of the style; to eat cheeseburgers every day; to drive to work solo in a car daily?

I admit I do at least some of those things or am tempted to do them. But most of them are honestly worse than wearing an ivory necklace or a tiger fur coat, ethically speaking. I’m sounding more radical and judgmental in this post than I actually am, but I am surprised at how slow the shift in social norms has been.

I have a good friend who is one of the authors of the second part of the IPCC report (it hasn’t come out yet) and it’s about policy changes and things that can be done to mitigate climate change. What she has been telling me for years is that we should do individual things to be good stewards of the Earth, but we are so far gone that the only really change can come for corporations and governments. Not to put a damper on an already sad thread.

I posted above, but I feel like this is actually the biggest problem. We live in the oldest democracy on earth, yet everyone seems to think that the government is some separate entity from them. If you want better policies, don't get depressed on DCUM. Start talking to your elected representatives and demand better policies. Yes, Congress is dysfunctional...but some of the most important decisions have nothing to do with Congress. Do you know if your city has a climate action plan? If so, is it any good? If so, is your city meeting its goals? If everyone doom and gloom person worried about climate change in America explored these questions and demanded the necessary changes, it would actually move the needle.

I am PP and I hear you about advocating for policy change but I was responding to the post above that changing your thermostat to 68 won’t really do anything at this point. Not saying not to, but it has to be governmental action.

I’m always a little perplexed when people say that individual consumer action doesn’t matter. Aren’t the industries responding to the consumer demands? So if people don’t want to buy crap, they will stop producing it? And if people won’t fly anymore, they won’t run all those airplanes for nothing. Residential and commercial use accounts for 30% of US greenhouse gas. If people insisted we stop air conditioning offices below 85 degrees, and put solar panels on every empty roof, couldn’t we cut that in half? The corporations and the governments are only giving us what we want. The businesses aren’t going to produce shit just for the sake of producing it (well, with the exception of military weapons), right?

[Anonymous]

Politicians predicted our demise already, but we recently got a 10 year ish extension till earth over. You may as well sell all your belongings and move to higher ground in a place with spring water and lots of room to garden your own food supply. With a canner and and solar panels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course those indoor options will just accelerate the problem.

I sort of feel like anyone that is not studying science to solve this is probably wasting their education. I haven’t convinced my kids of this yet though.

I also feel like we need a major shift in societal norms. 100 years ago, it was considered totally okay to spit in the street: smoke; wear furs from endangered animals; kill elephants for their tusks; make little children work in your factories; use racist terms and openly segregate based on race…..all of these things would more or less make you a social pariah now.

When is it going to be considered social suicide to air condition your office to 68 degrees in the summer; to fly to Paris for a weekend trip; to rip out your whole kitchen and replace it because you got bored of the style; to eat cheeseburgers every day; to drive to work solo in a car daily?

I admit I do at least some of those things or am tempted to do them. But most of them are honestly worse than wearing an ivory necklace or a tiger fur coat, ethically speaking. I’m sounding more radical and judgmental in this post than I actually am, but I am surprised at how slow the shift in social norms has been.

I have a good friend who is one of the authors of the second part of the IPCC report (it hasn’t come out yet) and it’s about policy changes and things that can be done to mitigate climate change. What she has been telling me for years is that we should do individual things to be good stewards of the Earth, but we are so far gone that the only really change can come for corporations and governments. Not to put a damper on an already sad thread.

I posted above, but I feel like this is actually the biggest problem. We live in the oldest democracy on earth, yet everyone seems to think that the government is some separate entity from them. If you want better policies, don't get depressed on DCUM. Start talking to your elected representatives and demand better policies. Yes, Congress is dysfunctional...but some of the most important decisions have nothing to do with Congress. Do you know if your city has a climate action plan? If so, is it any good? If so, is your city meeting its goals? If everyone doom and gloom person worried about climate change in America explored these questions and demanded the necessary changes, it would actually move the needle.

I am PP and I hear you about advocating for policy change but I was responding to the post above that changing your thermostat to 68 won’t really do anything at this point. Not saying not to, but it has to be governmental action.

I’m always a little perplexed when people say that individual consumer action doesn’t matter. Aren’t the industries responding to the consumer demands? So if people don’t want to buy crap, they will stop producing it? And if people won’t fly anymore, they won’t run all those airplanes for nothing. Residential and commercial use accounts for 30% of US greenhouse gas. If people insisted we stop air conditioning offices below 85 degrees, and put solar panels on every empty roof, couldn’t we cut that in half? The corporations and the governments are only giving us what we want. The businesses aren’t going to produce shit just for the sake of producing it (well, with the exception of military weapons), right?

I think it’s more like if the government doesn’t mandate changes to carbon emissions and things like that it won’t make much of a difference because not enough individuals will make all the sacrifices needed to slow things down. The ball is rolling downhill at this point and picking up speed. 20% of Americans stopping driving, flying and using plastic will not be enough change. It has to be forced through governmental action.

[Anonymous]

You people raising your children with some weird morbid fatalistic despair are abusive and psychotic. “I wish you were never born because of… global warming.” ?!

Seriously. Back off of your liberal crap. Most humans throughout history have been convinced by the best scientific minds and spiritual guides of their time that the end was nigh. Yet here we are. We’re no different.

The earth, and the humans, will be fine. Technology advances at staggering paces when survival is at stake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You people raising your children with some weird morbid fatalistic despair are abusive and psychotic. “I wish you were never born because of… global warming.” ?!

Seriously. Back off of your liberal crap. Most humans throughout history have been convinced by the best scientific minds and spiritual guides of their time that the end was nigh. Yet here we are. We’re no different.

The earth, and the humans, will be fine. Technology advances at staggering paces when survival is at stake.

You don’t think we’re headed for catastrophe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You people raising your children with some weird morbid fatalistic despair are abusive and psychotic. “I wish you were never born because of… global warming.” ?!

Seriously. Back off of your liberal crap. Most humans throughout history have been convinced by the best scientific minds and spiritual guides of their time that the end was nigh. Yet here we are. We’re no different.

The earth, and the humans, will be fine. Technology advances at staggering paces when survival is at stake.

I’m in Denver, and I’m looking out the window, and things are not fine. It is gaslighting and mental illness to say that things are fine. It’s not a liberal or a republican issue, we all need clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet where crops can grow and we can have a stable political system and society. We need to join together across the aisle to solve these problems and denying there is a problem is shirking our responsibility to our children and grandchildren.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You people raising your children with some weird morbid fatalistic despair are abusive and psychotic. “I wish you were never born because of… global warming.” ?!

Seriously. Back off of your liberal crap. Most humans throughout history have been convinced by the best scientific minds and spiritual guides of their time that the end was nigh. Yet here we are. We’re no different.

The earth, and the humans, will be fine. Technology advances at staggering paces when survival is at stake.

Read Guns, Germs, and Steel. There are plenty of examples of civilizations collapsing in history.

Things are not fine.

[Anonymous]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/09/opinions/climate-crisis-ipcc-report-john-sutter/index.html

This is key. The narrative that we can make individual choices to change this is distracting from the work that needs to be done. The stark reality is that we have no control over how Indian and China act.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I’m always a little perplexed when people say that individual consumer action doesn’t matter. Aren’t the industries responding to the consumer demands? So if people don’t want to buy crap, they will stop producing it? And if people won’t fly anymore, they won’t run all those airplanes for nothing. Residential and commercial use accounts for 30% of US greenhouse gas. If people insisted we stop air conditioning offices below 85 degrees, and put solar panels on every empty roof, couldn’t we cut that in half? The corporations and the governments are only giving us what we want. The businesses aren’t going to produce shit just for the sake of producing it (well, with the exception of military weapons), right?

I think it’s more like if the government doesn’t mandate changes to carbon emissions and things like that it won’t make much of a difference because not enough individuals will make all the sacrifices needed to slow things down. The ball is rolling downhill at this point and picking up speed. 20% of Americans stopping driving, flying and using plastic will not be enough change. It has to be forced through governmental action.

I think PP is talking about something different, which is the ability of individual actions to spur institutional change. I think it can, but consumer action is possibly the most difficult way to force change. Boycotts might be effective at getting a company to make a small change to their operations, but they probably won't get a company to fundamentally reimagine their business model. For the most part, widespread consumer action is most effective when/if it spurs policy or regulatory change...which requires the individuals who got interested enough in an issue to lobby their governments for change. It's why many cities and states are now issuing single-use plastic bans. It's why many jurisdictions are prioritizing renewable energy.

I try hard to reduce my plastic consumption, but plastic is so ubiquitous that at some point I'd have to stop participating in modern society to reduce it enough to be effective. If I can instead work with my government to ban a lot of the needless use of plastic, it would be far more effective. Where should I put my energy. Finding the one recycling center that will recycle my Starbucks lid? Or working with my government to create a regulation that incentivizes Starbucks to use a different material?

[Anonymous]

Never forget. The super rich are the ones destroying the planet.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/26/oxfam-report-the-global-wealthy-are-main-drivers-of-climate-change.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/09/opinions/climate-crisis-ipcc-report-john-sutter/index.html

This is key. The narrative that we can make individual choices to change this is distracting from the work that needs to be done. The stark reality is that we have no control over how Indian and China act.

Or how the elite act. Many entertainment and political bigwigs who like to tell the little people how to live, flew their private jets to Martha's Vineyard for a big party recently. Rules for thee but not for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You people raising your children with some weird morbid fatalistic despair are abusive and psychotic. “I wish you were never born because of… global warming.” ?!

Seriously. Back off of your liberal crap. Most humans throughout history have been convinced by the best scientific minds and spiritual guides of their time that the end was nigh. Yet here we are. We’re no different.

The earth, and the humans, will be fine. Technology advances at staggering paces when survival is at stake.

Over 1000 people died this summer in the Northwest and Canada from the heat wave.

Those people aren't fine. They're dead.

This isn't some nebulous future anymore. The future is now.

[Anonymous]

OP again. Just watched a segment about Greece. Its completely engulfed in wildfires coming in from all sides. I'm really trying to get through the day here, and all I see is: Greece is burning. Hell has arrived there.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/09/europe/greece-wildfire-warning-climate-intl/index.html

Things are not ok, and they will not BE ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never forget. The super rich are the ones destroying the planet.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/26/oxfam-report-the-global-wealthy-are-main-drivers-of-climate-change.html

And they have always been the ones at the forefront of this destruction, because without them, it can't happen.

Someone once said to me "The rich will never care about Climate change. They will always find a place they can live that is ok. That is their attitude. Its when they can't get water that they will pay attention."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Just watched a segment about Greece. Its completely engulfed in wildfires coming in from all sides. I'm really trying to get through the day here, and all I see is: Greece is burning. Hell has arrived there.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/09/europe/greece-wildfire-warning-climate-intl/index.html

Things are not ok, and they will not BE ok.

My heart is breaking for Greece. That was my home for almost a decade. These fires are taking place right next to our old house. So many friends suffering right now. It's unimaginable.