this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2023
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Option 3 is the only one that will change anything. Just saying.
I won't make any comments for or against it, I'll just remind people that the wealthiest 10% of people ~~in the US~~ worldwide are responsible for 40% of global warming emissions, and that BP invented the concept of a "carbon footprint" to shift the blame for global warming off of the companies that produce it, and on to the consumers forced into an economy that doesn't offer good alternatives. Don't bother turning the lights off when you leave the room. Don't bother using shitty paper straws. Don't bother turning the water off while you wash your hands. All of that is immediately undone when a company leaves the lights on 24/7 at every location in an attempt to reduce theft, and wraps everything in tons of plastic for shipping across seas, and that rich guy down the street who waters his lawn at 3:00 AM every single day regardless of whether it's currently raining or you're in the middle of a drought.
Every single thing that every single person in East Palestine Ohio ever did to reduce their impact on the climate was undone and then some by Norfolk Southern back in February, because maintaining the trains that carried fucking WWI era chemical weapons would cost a little bit of money.
But like
Don't get radicalized or anything lol
No, 40% of climate change is caused by the wealthiest 10% globally. That's 800,000,000 people, including according to this 100 million US-Americans. Even the bottom 50% of US Americans cause as much emission (per capita) as the top 10% in Turkey or Argentina.
Source (2015)
I don't understand why so many people are vehemently against taking up any form of personal responsibility. The idea that everyone can just shit on the environment because corporation's aren't doing enough is juvenile bs. It's a comfort zone that enables these corporations in the first place.
Because it's like pissing into the ocean and saying we've increased the water level. I mean technically yeah, but not really.
The overwhelming issue is tankers, concrete, industrial plastics, methane from cattle and "natural" gas. Individual contribution from people barely shows up at all compared to these.
The decisions of people absolutely influence what companies are doing. While the plastic straw each individual drops onto the floor or the burger they eat may not be the major driver of climate change, it is the way people chose to live (in the western world) that is responsible for climate change.
Releasing people from that responsibility will lead to them just slumb back into their comfort zone and doing nothing.
People, on a large scale, will never do that. That's not in human nature, and thinking everyone will willingly stop driving and buying meat is just the least productive kind of dreaming.
Those in charge will never change either, unless forced.
No amount of individual responsibility will overcome corporate intentions without regulation or real competition. Neither of which seem to be on deck.
Those companies aren't polluting for fun, are they? If nobody buys their products, no pollution is done.
Of course, a valid counterargument is that buying alternatives is too expensive (or non-existent, which most likely also has to do with price). And then the valid recourse is politics, subsidising alternatives, or in my opinion the better choice: making polluting products more expensive (by means of carbon tax or cap and trade).
I avoid buying concrete whenever I can...
As for stuff shipped overseas I buy US stuff as much as possible. I'd love to buy a US built and sourced computer and phone but I just don't think that's possible.
We avoid beef almost 100%, it's hard to get goat but it's my favorite when it's available. My wife and I aren't vegetarians but we're pretty close.
I'm not discounting what an individual can do but no amount of individual choice will change the system enough without pressure from the top. Either regulation or real competition, neither of which are on deck it seems.
Workers who ignore personal responsibility towards the environment currently, won't suddenly all start caring as soon as a successful workers revolution takes place. And the workers are unlikely to vote to cutback devastating industrial practices if their lifestyle is now even more closely tied to the success of their industry. Furthermore, the workers who are used to being nihilistic consumers, can now live more lavish and destructive lifestyles, promoting further industry.
I'm a commie, and I'm not anti industry either, but it is incredibly important that we cultivate a sense of responsibility to the planet, not just our comrades. We can't simply rely on the dream of luxury space communism to save us, if we do we are no better than the technocrats who have a policy of break now and fix later.