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It's also hard to not get a little cynical when some of the people who pontificate on the subject don't look like they are making many sacrifices.
by barking 10y ago
It's also hard to not get a little cynical when some of the people who pontificate on the subject don't look like they are making many sacrifices.
- MagnumOpus 10y agoWhy? Individual action is utterly irrelevant for any global problem, and the pontificators know it. What can help is changing the incentive structure for the consumption of millions or billions people; i.e. carbon taxes, power plant tax incentives, new solar/wind tech that makes it cheaper than oil. Given 95 million barrels of oil being burned every day, it matters not an iota if a rich guy sets fire to an entire barrel of oil - but it matters massively whether he lobbies for a carbon tax or whether he uses his influence to spread lies to prevent one. As an aside, the same applies for taxes - I am not a hypocrite if I make use of a mortgage tax deduction while at the same time arguing that it is a nonsensical and highly destructive tax.
- barking 10y agoI have celebrity environment activists in mind who regularly fly in private jets to faraway resorts and live the high life while being ambassadors for climate change action on the other. The context is different but Paul Theroux's quote on Bono sums it up: "THERE are probably more annoying things than being hectored about African development by a wealthy Irish rock star in a cowboy hat, but I can't think of one at the moment" http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/15/opinion/the-rock-stars-burden.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/15/opinion/the-rock-stars-bur...
- JoeAltmaier 10y agoFortunately the message can be true regardless of who says it?
- barking 10y agoThey choose a celebrity because they think that the little people are more likely to listen to them. But when the messenger has the whiff of hyprocisy about them, it's natural to be cynical. No one likes being patronised.