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this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2024
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I probably make that much in my life. Billionaire make it in an hour, but environmentalists are still blaming me and the plastic straw I used last week
While plastic products do contribute to CO2 emissions, and billionaires do contribute a significant amount of their own CO2 emissions, plastic straws are terrible for wildlife and the environment altogether and should have been banned long ago for reasons completely separate from the CO2 emissions.
I know you write that to debunk the blame-shifting BS from the person above you and thank you for that. I would like to make a different point though: Plastic straws would have never become an issue if companies like McDonald's hadn't started to hand them out with every single drink for absolutely no reason. If they'd instead been used to allow disabled people to drink more comfortably, all would have been good. But consumers want, and in some cases, expect certain conveniences and companies are more than happy to feed our overconsumption.
Currently about 4.7 tonnes per year is the global average, for americans I found a figure of about 16 tonnes per year. But the second number is probably a few years old.
The average billionaire was estimated at about 8,194 tonnes per year. Or 512 americans. It sucks, but remember that there are way more than 512 americans per billionaire. We all need to change, it's just more extreme of a change the more money you have.
Same with companies. Instead of both sides shifting blame to each other, companies and consumers have to change.
While I agree with your general point I'd like to say that the relation of company emissions with consumer emissions is a bit different, ultimately what we consider consumer emissions are the company emissions of what the consumers buy.
But that still means we need to change both consumer behaviour and laws restricting companies, reducing consumption is important but so is reducing the pollution involved in producing what we do consume.
Do they really? Are these people here in this room? I know literally 0 environmentalist that would blame you for the plastic straw.
And there's a difference between "HOW DARE YOU USE A PLASTIC STRAW, YOU EVIL FILTH??" which is what this person probably hears though the filter of their own subconscious guilt and insecurity, versus "Hey folks, we should really consider whether we actually need all these plastic straws, because even the little improvements in our consumption habits can add up to valuable impacts," which is what's actually being said.
HE USED A PLASTIC STRAW!!! GET THE TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS!!!!
BUT THE BIODEGRADABLE KIND, WE'RE NOT THE MONSTERS HERE!!!!
Nah, that's what the billionaires tell you that environmentalists want, so that you rally against the environmentalists rather than the billionaires.
Divide and conquer is so terribly effective.
just use no straw and drink straight from the cup, the way you would any drink at home