How can we as people look after the planet?
What can ordinary people do to save the planet when the fate of our earth rests in the hands of governments and companies? Any ideas? I'm usually an optimist, but these days I feel that no matter what we everyday folks do, we can't fight the greed and corruption that dominates governments and companies worldwide. Sure, the US may be able to take a strong environmental stance, but without the rainforest and without China on board, the world is doomed. Any thoughts? Almost nobody truly cares about the environment.
We all know the environment and climate changes are hot issues right now, people are screaming about it left and right, protesting, signing petitions, etc. But truly nobody does any meaningful changes because it would get in the way of their comfort, and their desire to consume. The West has a consumerism and hedonism addiction and until we do something to counter it we will never do anything to save the environment because our concerns end where our comfort begins.
People claims to be super pro-environment, super "woke" against climate change and anybody who denies climate change or isn't alarmed by it is ostracized, shamed and attacked. Yet Reddit will also upvote to infinity posts like this, which are peak consumerism, the very thing that is destroying our planet at the moment. Yes we as people can't do much to counter climate change compared to corporations, but we are supposed to be the ones to control corporations not the other way around. We have the power to make any corporation we want bankrupt, simply by not consuming their products. We have the power to force them to change for the better. But we can't, because we're addicted. We need the latest merch, the latest phone, the latest Lego set. How many of you on this very website knows how to sew? How many of you fixes their clothes when they are damaged instead of throwing them away and buying new ones? How many of you bought something you didn't need in the past month? How many of you eat out in restaurants and cafés despite the fact they waste a ridiculous amount of food? I'd be willing to bet almost 100% of you. Nobody needs the latest phone, nobody needs to drink alcohol, nobody needs new clothes. These are all things you WANT, and buying/consuming those things is what destroys the planet. Do you have any idea how much pollution stems from the production of alcohol and its transport? It's immeasurable, and yet it is for something that is purely, absolutely and completely useless. It is a drug, a simple gateway for escapism. And how can you really justify buying the latest iPhone, or the latest Samsung phone? A marginal increase in power? Slightly crispier looking photos? Is that really what you want to destroy the planet for? Your own vanity, looking good amongst your peers? This website is truly one of the most hypocritical goddamn place on the internet and its users would rather die justifying themselves and denying that fact rather than doing a bit of introspection and realizing they're the problem. If you claim to care for the environment then do something about it. Learn how to fix shit, don't replace anything until it's unsalvageable or dangerous to use, stop eating out so goddamn much, learn how to cook, reduce your alcohol intake or stop altogether. Quit consumerism, and shame those who refuse to. That is the only way we'll save the Earth, and that is a power every single one of us has, we just have to be willing to use it. I think that, for some reason, people seem to enjoy antagonizing themselves. We are the ones causing climate change. We are the ones killing the polar bears and walruses and penguins. We are the reason why plastic is in the ocean, and why the rain forest is depleting. But I don't think it's an individual issue. If I were to cut out meat entirely, stop purchasing anything made of palm oil, only ever bike to school, and never purchase anything made of plastic or with plastic packaging, climate change would still be happening. It might help slightly, but not in the long run. I am only one person. People say that everyone's actions will add up, but I don't think that many people will ever sacrifice their current lives to save our planet's future. 100 companies alone are responsible for 71 percent of global carbon emissions. This shows that pollution is caused primarily by companies and corporations, not by 'little' people like you (probably) or me. Sure, if everyone stopped buying Toyota cars, they'd probably stop/reduce their emissions of carbon and drop off the list. But I think it's rather impossible to get everyone on board for that. They will keep contributing to climate change whether they have 10 million customers or 9 million, or even just 1 million. Keep America Beautiful is a good example of where my opinion lies. KAB was created in the 50's by people like the Pepsi and Coca-Cola CEOs. They're the ones that coined the term 'litterbug' and fund beach clean-ups and similar events. I think this is rather despicable, really; rather than taking responsibility for the huge amount of plastic they manufacture with, they shift all blame to individuals like you or me. Why should a bunch of people like us have to clean up the ocean for KAB due to a problem almost entirely instigated by KAB? A last thing I wanted to touch on--the self antagonizing stuff is especially bad for those of low incomes. Even if I wanted to cut out plastic and stuff entirely, I, along with what I'd argue to be most Americans, couldn't afford to. Eco-friendly products are typically much more expensive than standard ones. Cotton clothing is often much more expensive than clothing made of polyester. I don't think that using an LED bulb rather than fluorescent, or skipping a shower every other day, or boycotting everything made of palm oil is really going to do anything. This mentality is harmful not only for antagonizing people with low incomes, but for shifting blame off companies and onto average people. Voting is a good start to solve these issues--holding politicians accountable for keeping companies, corporations, and net carbon emissions in check--but I cannot yet vote, hence the title "nothing I can do." Overall, though, I think the solution isn't for us to take responsibility, but for those with power to hold corporations and companies responsible. Please change my view! And if there is something I can do that meaningfully impacts climate change, please share that with me!
We all know the environment and climate changes are hot issues right now, people are screaming about it left and right, protesting, signing petitions, etc. But truly nobody does any meaningful changes because it would get in the way of their comfort, and their desire to consume. The West has a consumerism and hedonism addiction and until we do something to counter it we will never do anything to save the environment because our concerns end where our comfort begins.
People claims to be super pro-environment, super "woke" against climate change and anybody who denies climate change or isn't alarmed by it is ostracized, shamed and attacked. Yet Reddit will also upvote to infinity posts like this, which are peak consumerism, the very thing that is destroying our planet at the moment. Yes we as people can't do much to counter climate change compared to corporations, but we are supposed to be the ones to control corporations not the other way around. We have the power to make any corporation we want bankrupt, simply by not consuming their products. We have the power to force them to change for the better. But we can't, because we're addicted. We need the latest merch, the latest phone, the latest Lego set. How many of you on this very website knows how to sew? How many of you fixes their clothes when they are damaged instead of throwing them away and buying new ones? How many of you bought something you didn't need in the past month? How many of you eat out in restaurants and cafés despite the fact they waste a ridiculous amount of food? I'd be willing to bet almost 100% of you. Nobody needs the latest phone, nobody needs to drink alcohol, nobody needs new clothes. These are all things you WANT, and buying/consuming those things is what destroys the planet. Do you have any idea how much pollution stems from the production of alcohol and its transport? It's immeasurable, and yet it is for something that is purely, absolutely and completely useless. It is a drug, a simple gateway for escapism. And how can you really justify buying the latest iPhone, or the latest Samsung phone? A marginal increase in power? Slightly crispier looking photos? Is that really what you want to destroy the planet for? Your own vanity, looking good amongst your peers? This website is truly one of the most hypocritical goddamn place on the internet and its users would rather die justifying themselves and denying that fact rather than doing a bit of introspection and realizing they're the problem. If you claim to care for the environment then do something about it. Learn how to fix shit, don't replace anything until it's unsalvageable or dangerous to use, stop eating out so goddamn much, learn how to cook, reduce your alcohol intake or stop altogether. Quit consumerism, and shame those who refuse to. That is the only way we'll save the Earth, and that is a power every single one of us has, we just have to be willing to use it. I think that, for some reason, people seem to enjoy antagonizing themselves. We are the ones causing climate change. We are the ones killing the polar bears and walruses and penguins. We are the reason why plastic is in the ocean, and why the rain forest is depleting. But I don't think it's an individual issue. If I were to cut out meat entirely, stop purchasing anything made of palm oil, only ever bike to school, and never purchase anything made of plastic or with plastic packaging, climate change would still be happening. It might help slightly, but not in the long run. I am only one person. People say that everyone's actions will add up, but I don't think that many people will ever sacrifice their current lives to save our planet's future. 100 companies alone are responsible for 71 percent of global carbon emissions. This shows that pollution is caused primarily by companies and corporations, not by 'little' people like you (probably) or me. Sure, if everyone stopped buying Toyota cars, they'd probably stop/reduce their emissions of carbon and drop off the list. But I think it's rather impossible to get everyone on board for that. They will keep contributing to climate change whether they have 10 million customers or 9 million, or even just 1 million. Keep America Beautiful is a good example of where my opinion lies. KAB was created in the 50's by people like the Pepsi and Coca-Cola CEOs. They're the ones that coined the term 'litterbug' and fund beach clean-ups and similar events. I think this is rather despicable, really; rather than taking responsibility for the huge amount of plastic they manufacture with, they shift all blame to individuals like you or me. Why should a bunch of people like us have to clean up the ocean for KAB due to a problem almost entirely instigated by KAB? A last thing I wanted to touch on--the self antagonizing stuff is especially bad for those of low incomes. Even if I wanted to cut out plastic and stuff entirely, I, along with what I'd argue to be most Americans, couldn't afford to. Eco-friendly products are typically much more expensive than standard ones. Cotton clothing is often much more expensive than clothing made of polyester. I don't think that using an LED bulb rather than fluorescent, or skipping a shower every other day, or boycotting everything made of palm oil is really going to do anything. This mentality is harmful not only for antagonizing people with low incomes, but for shifting blame off companies and onto average people. Voting is a good start to solve these issues--holding politicians accountable for keeping companies, corporations, and net carbon emissions in check--but I cannot yet vote, hence the title "nothing I can do." Overall, though, I think the solution isn't for us to take responsibility, but for those with power to hold corporations and companies responsible. Please change my view! And if there is something I can do that meaningfully impacts climate change, please share that with me!
