this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2023
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Don't just wait passively for it, take action. Everyone can contribute and together we will achieve big things. If we all work together the collapse is not just a dream.
Dont use plastic straws, drive public transport or bike, buy bio food, donate to orgs, glue yourself to the street
and maybe... just maybe... you will change fuck all
Plastic straws have almost zero to none impact on climate change. It is one of the biggest virtue signaling campaings that managed to scam shit ton of gullible people. Climate change is a never ending process, those who can alter the process have way bigger means to affect it than you and me. Regulate the companies, end the "too big to fail" market monopoly, tax the shit out of billioners. Dont fall to their diversion strategy that we are to blame for any of this shit.
I love how McDonald's went from paper cups/plastic straws to plastic cups/paper straws in my area.
Mine stopped using straws for a bit and gave a special lid that made it easier to sip your soda. That didn't last long, we are now back to plastic cups and plastic straws.
It wasn't about climate change, it was about plastic waste giving turtles straws up their nostrils.
And they still eat floating plastic that they mistake for jellyfish.
No the straw thing was about a cute kid making a science fair project about "The Dangers of Straws!" With all the thought an elementary school student could offer to the conversation that was latched onto by the media to fill a time slot and get more media buzz.
Not only did it do fuck all to help, it was also really annoying.
Likely on purpose to make people not want to help the environment at all if it means having soggy paper in your drinks.
The paper straws couldn't even be recycled.
Not defending paper straws specifically but recycling is a scam. Anything common household material that is not plastic is inherently better than plastic from an environmental standpoint.
They're compostable/biodegradable. I think the point was to reduce the affect of litter. Some municipalities give you an organic bin that's collected, composted, then sold.
... did everyone misread your comment or am I crazy? I have faith that we can make horrible climate change a reality if we just put our minds to it.
Nuclear Posadism is so Cold War. We need a new apocalyptic accelerationism.
Apocalyptic accelerationism from home. Learn these 5 easy steps how YOU! can increase your contribution to annihilation.
Some only read the first part, some appreciated the dark humor.
Some sure did, but I don't mind it :)
I mean we kinda can't unless we convince billionaires to making money.
That seems to me the crux of the issue.
Veganism is the movement which has the highest potential to change society and is a huge impact on the environment. (IPCC: biggest single step one can take / even without fossile fuels our current food system will still contribute with +2°C to global warming)
And it does not take away from any other activity we should pursue in the fight for climate, while ending support for some billionaires like Wesley Batista
So long as we're pushing for systemic change - we don't dig ourselves out of this by "just taking personal responsibility" harder.
Gotta do both.
TBF, I can't argue with that, but when we look at where the issue lays, it's clear which we should prioritise. Just talking personal responsibility harder also doesn't do much about the rest of your country, let alone the world.
What are countries and the world but a large group of individuals
Groups of people and organisations that submit to the power of a government that sets the rules for that group of people.
Change the rules, change the behaviour for the large group of individuals and the companies doing the lions share of the damage.
Change your behaviour, change the behaviour of one individual.
Sure. Change your own scope that you control, and simultaneously work to change the system. But there is more than one system. Not just government systems. But also mental/social systems, for instance the meme that individual actions don't amount to much. Imagine if everyone started believing their individual actions mattered.
Agreed with the caveat that compared to corporate contributions, individual contribution (within reason) is near irrelevant.
You're basically saying that human culture doesn't exist. We can foster a culture around sustainability, just like we have previously fostered a culture around greed and excess. Apathy and trying to minimize nudges towards sustainability only support the status quo.
I'm what now?
Go for it - foster a culture of sustainability. That's not a bad thing, it's just inadequate.
Do you think that'll deliver the change we need, dramatically shifting the behaviour of corporations and billions of people before we're out of time, or do you think that pushing those that set the rules of our society to force/motivate the corporations might do a more effective job?
You're talking about fundamentally breaking capitalism, which I'm all for, but to imagine that those holding the wealth, and by extension, the power will be influenced to abandon the profit motive by some flowery language rather than pushing back against you to the greatest extent possible is magical thinking. You need the greater power of the government to force that change on them.
Anything but individual action is magic and flowery language. A system, a group, a corporation, an institution is made of individuals. How does ANY action start if not initiated by individuals? I will concede that cleaning up your own behavior may not move the needle much, but changing "the system" still requires individuals to take actions. What are you waiting for? Some magical hive mind to fix things?
Seems like we're stuck in a loop here then. I think you need an engaged populace first to build momentum around political and societal solutions. Which society do you think will force the government to actually solve the problem - a bunch of soft apathetic people blaming everyone else, or a society that at its core actually values sustainability and lives it on a personal level? Pretty sure you know the answer.
I actually think we broadly agree - my point is that the answer isn't to just recycle harder at the individual level, or even to get members of your community to do the same (though it's certainly a good thing to do) - the real change comes from the push for systemic change that'll affect both the populace broadly, and corporations. Yes - the most effective way to do that is to build a community of people that are all pushing in the same direction - lobbying for policy/party changes in government, pushing companies to be better, etc.
Again, my views are a product of looking where the biggest contributions to the problem come from, and the changes where we can move the needle the most. A bunch of individuals changing is good, a bunch of individuals changing the government to change the whole state/country/corporate regulations is far better.
and those induviduals dont shape the structutres they inhabit that are causing these issues, they are born into them and compliance to these structures is enforced ideologically and through force and prison.
Hoping to speed up the collapse I see lol.
I drive a hybrid.
I recycle everything I can.
I pickup litter.
I try to be as power efficient as possible.
I'm not a vegetarian but I don't eat meat everyday.
Plus, I post memes that stimulate conversation like this!
I am vegan since 5 years, before I was (don't judge me, or do- its deserved) 10 years vegetarian. Since ~15 years? PV on my roof which feed into the grid many times more power than I used I rarely travel, not one flight. I advocate and work towards a sustainable future. Demonstrations and some political work. Go on, check my my posts and judge for yourself if I was maybe sarcastic?
Speak concretely. What actions would you like them to take, and how will they help?
Just... y'know, take action.
Buy less, travel less, demand wfh.
No political will promote slowing the economy down even though that's the simplest, most straightforward way to slow our pollution output. Our stockmarket and retirement plans are based on infinite growth, which is unfeasible even without climate change being a factor.
Burn a barrel of oil in your backyard. Run the AC with the doors and windows open. Buy a heavy truck and take a cross-country joyride.
Before you downvote me, reread the comment two back in this chain.
People say that but it would help if they mention things to actually do.
Went vegan. Got 35 solar cells. Replaced lawn with native plants. Work from home. Spending a lot of time advocating online and to friends and family. Raising kids as environmentalists.
And you and kids are still gonna die from the effects of climate change and the collapse of society because a handful of billionaires and corporations only care about making more money next quarter in spite of every single other human being on the planet.
And also because of the billions of individuals such as yourself that decided it was hopeless.
Going vegan is according to the IPCC the single biggest step a individual can take. This does not take anything away from other actions we can simultaneous pursue. Veganism is growing and has despite being a small percentage of the population the potential for a change.
And it'd probably be a lot more convincing if my experience with vegans outside the past year or so weren't composed entirely of people pushing it on the basis of "killing animals is wrong."
Counterpoint, eating a single billionaire would do more to reduce emissions than lifetime of veganism.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/27/climate-crisis-villains-americas-dirty-dozen I mean, ... the current profiteers which steer society into collapse have names.
What I notice is a lot of petrochemical companies, conglomerates, politicians and attorneys. And Facebook.Our best bet would be to steer clear of those, or at least as much as possible.
I have personally switched to a cleaner car (no electric since I cannot yet afford them), walk and cycle more often, no longer buy Unilever or Nestle products (though that's more of a moral reason) and am even stricter with my energy consumption. I try to use most of my belongings as long as possible (unless they consume a lot of power) and try to repair everything until it is so broken and worn out that I have to replace it. Which I will replace it with something of a good quality that will last many years and preferably made locally, always trying to prevent buying from Chinese companies. My landlord (it's a company but I can't think of the word for it) has installed solar panels on my home 4 years ago and I am using LED lights and have replaced all CRT tv's/monitors with LCD. Built newer computers with lower energy CPU's. Lights that are frequently used have been put on a timer or sensor so they are automatically switched off. Other lights are turned off when leaving the room. I have switched to an electrical stove to prevent the need for fracking gas and earthquakes caused by natural gas pumping. Oh and my gardens mostly consist of grass and plants.
I think that's about it.