Re:Earth at risk of becoming 'hothouse' if tipping point rea...
by usaar333 on Tuesday August 07, 2018 @10:43AM
(#17707062)
Go to a highly educated Silicon Valley tech company. Survey around. How many of these people eat beef? How many take frequent vacations via plane?
Per capita, especially due to the plane travel, their emissions are probably as high as someone in a southern red state. Personal convenience beats doing the right ting.
Re:Earth at risk of becoming 'hothouse' if tipping point rea...
by tremon on Tuesday August 07, 2018 @11:44AM
(#17707646)
Personal convenience beats doing the right ting.
Yes, I am moving more and more towards that camp too. I don't own a car, never fly, eat mainly chicken instead of beef, and consistently vote green. But I refuse to take more responsibility when the rest of the world is so obviously not picking up its share.
Like another parent said, this is a coordination problem. The collective action that people have been clamouring for for decades hasn't happened, and my personal contribution is small enough to not make a hint of a dent. Frankly, I have resigned myself to the reality that peak civilization is behind us.
People do not know that their largest personal impact is cars and meat. They just don't know that at all because 1) they don't know that climate change is real thanks to Fox and Exxon, and 2) they don't think that their habits matter. Your assumption that they do is dangerous and wrong.
Remember that Exxon Mobil has spent 40 years knowing about the dangers of climate change, but "educating" Americans through TV that it isn't a real threat. The primary education Americans get about this topic is from the megacorporations and mega rich people who are selling us polluting products with no alternatives, and is not a real education at all.