Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.
As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades:
How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world:
Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:
Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.
Instead, they attribute the most blame to businesses and governments of wealthy countries.
They are not. fucking. wrong.
Don't misunderstand me, do what you can yourself, because every little bit helps, and absolutely boycott them if you can...
but never forget "your personal carbon footprint" was a BP invention.
Until the big polluters are held to account, nothing you or I could do, even combined, will move the needle.
Yep. Pieces like this, while containing a kernel of truth about the imbalance of living conditions and the carbon footprints thereof, are actually more or less just sneaky pieces to get citizens angry at each other, and that’s a lot easier to pull off successfully if you point the finger across a national border.
It’s a chicken and the egg problem. Most those companies would run out of buisness if the large majority of consumers made green choices.
those consumers often can't make choices due to being coerced by their economic circumstances
Very true. As someone on 8k a year, I can very much relate.
However, people making enough money too have no excuse.
Kill the snake first, deal with the hatchlings later.
Yeah... That's not going to work, because it turns out people will in fact pay a premium for green choices
Which sounds great, except it's a lot cheaper to lie and misdirect than to be green
And you have to be real, companies will do anything before producing less. Like plastics - the companies making them won't make less plastic just because we stop using straws - they'll pivot. They'll make them cheaper, ship them further, or cut back the straws to make more disposable cups - the only way they're cutting back on plastic is if the same processes and machinery can make a biodegradable version, if the government forces them, or if they shut down in whole or in part
This is the juicy bit:
Roughly one in two Americans said they are not very or not at all exposed to environmental and climate change risks. Those perceptions contrast sharply with empirical evidence showing that climate change is having an impact in nearly every corner of the United States. A warming planet has intensified hurricanes battering coasts, droughts striking middle American farms and wildfires threatening homes and air quality across the country. And climate shocks are driving up prices of some food, like chocolate and olive oil, and consumer goods.
Americans also largely believe they do not bear responsibility for global environmental problems. Only about 15 percent of U.S. respondents said that high- and middle-income Americans share responsibility for climate change and natural destruction. Instead, they attribute the most blame to businesses and governments of wealthy countries.
TBF, I wonder if that's limited to Americans.
Too be fair, it is not the choice of individual Americans to live in and be dependent on a society that was forced to become car centric and dependent.
With very few options to travel by car, and the large dominance of single family homes, we don't get many options.
Fuck people who drive gas guzzling trucks and giant suvs though. That is just unnecessary. But again car manufacturers have been slowly convincing Americans to purchase larger more expensive suvs for obvious reasons.
This issue is absolutely a governmental policy choice, and one that is continuing to be upheld.
Americans also largely believe they do not bear responsibility for global environmental problems. Only about 15 percent of US respondents said that high- and middle-income Americans share responsibility for climate change and natural destruction. Instead, they attribute the most blame to businesses and governments of wealthy countries.
You have to admit that PR has done its job well.
Those survey responses suggest that at least half of Americans may not feel they have any skin in the game when it comes to addressing global environmental problems, according to Geoff Dabelko, a professor at Ohio University and expert in environmental policy and security.
"American exceptionalism"
who do not understand that driving a car with AC to a home with AC is making matters worse.
For what it's worth, globally, heating buildings accounts for more than 4 times as much CO2 emissions as cooling buildings. Yes, this ratio might shift as the world warms, but the lower hanging fruit for climate change is to make heating more efficient and less impactful, not necessarily to focus those efforts on how we cool our homes.
Oh, for sure. Heat pumps are a-comin, dear Lisa.