3 ms·

They should lead by example if they expect others to make drastic changes in their lifestyle. When they continue to live lifestyles that emit far more than the

They should lead by example if they expect others to make drastic changes in their lifestyle. When they continue to live lifestyles that emit far more than the average amount of CO2, people question whether they really believe what they claim.

vkou 8y ago
Taxing carbon-emitting sources of electricity, by 100%, to make renewables more competitive will not produce a drastic change in your lifestyle. For me, it will mean that my power bill will be $60/month, instead of $30/month. Me opting out of using electricity will, unfortunately, not have the same effect to my life as an increase in my power bill. Large reductions in our carbon emissions are possible without large changes to our lifestyles. Utility-level power generation is a huge low-hanging fruit. My consumption choices aren't going to do shit to drive it. The attitude of "Live what you preach, or shut up" is, unfortunately, not going to convince my utility to stop burning coal, or my city to expand its transit coverage. Coal, and oil becoming uneconomical, compared to the alternatives, preferably through carbon taxes, will, however.
- leereeves 8y ago
  Renewables are already competitive, thanks to natural progress in technology. Investment driven by artificial incentives would only have led to excessive, wasteful investment in technologies that weren't ready yet.
- war1025 8y ago
  The social signaling bit comes in when a doubling of your energy bills has no noticeable affect on your daily life. If you're struggling to pay your bills already, then that change could put you in a world of hurt.
KozmoNau7 8y ago
Hi, I try to be a good example. I sold my car, now I ride my bike and take public transit everywhere. I only rent a car when there is no alternative. My girlfriend and I have reduced our meat consumption and almost completely cut out beef, veal and lamb. We buy local, and try to avoid excessive packaging. We sort our trash, and try to reuse, repurpose and recycle as much as possible. We buy second hand whenever possible, the average age of our digital devices is somewhere around 4-5 years. In general, we are pretty much free of the lure of consumerism. We don't do this to "virtue signal", we do it because it's the only sensible thing to do. And we are absolutely not alone in this attitude. But despite all of this, the world needs to deal with corporate polluters, and quick. While doing as much as we can privately is good and a good idea, the big change will need to come from keeping businesses in check.
- worldsayshi 8y ago
  People like you are never highlighted by people who want to ignore climate change. It's much more convenient to point at the hypocrites and see them as representative.
  - KozmoNau7 8y ago
    Exactly, it's much easier to argue against a strawman, after all. And I will fully admit that I am not perfect. I don't buy everything local, and I do have to travel by plane a couple of times per year. But I do make an effort, still.
worldsayshi 8y ago
It seems to me that people tend to lend disproportionate focus to hypocrisy when it comes to climate change. Leading by example is a good thing but it's not the most important thing. The most important thing is always to find the most impactful change.

vkou 8y ago

Taxing carbon-emitting sources of electricity, by 100%, to make renewables more competitive will not produce a drastic change in your lifestyle. For me, it will mean that my power bill will be $60/month, instead of $30/month. Me opting out of using electricity will, unfortunately, not have the same effect to my life as an increase in my power bill. Large reductions in our carbon emissions are possible without large changes to our lifestyles. Utility-level power generation is a huge low-hanging fruit. My consumption choices aren't going to do shit to drive it. The attitude of "Live what you preach, or shut up" is, unfortunately, not going to convince my utility to stop burning coal, or my city to expand its transit coverage. Coal, and oil becoming uneconomical, compared to the alternatives, preferably through carbon taxes, will, however.

leereeves 8y ago
Renewables are already competitive, thanks to natural progress in technology. Investment driven by artificial incentives would only have led to excessive, wasteful investment in technologies that weren't ready yet.
war1025 8y ago
The social signaling bit comes in when a doubling of your energy bills has no noticeable affect on your daily life. If you're struggling to pay your bills already, then that change could put you in a world of hurt.

KozmoNau7 8y ago

Hi, I try to be a good example. I sold my car, now I ride my bike and take public transit everywhere. I only rent a car when there is no alternative. My girlfriend and I have reduced our meat consumption and almost completely cut out beef, veal and lamb. We buy local, and try to avoid excessive packaging. We sort our trash, and try to reuse, repurpose and recycle as much as possible. We buy second hand whenever possible, the average age of our digital devices is somewhere around 4-5 years. In general, we are pretty much free of the lure of consumerism. We don't do this to "virtue signal", we do it because it's the only sensible thing to do. And we are absolutely not alone in this attitude. But despite all of this, the world needs to deal with corporate polluters, and quick. While doing as much as we can privately is good and a good idea, the big change will need to come from keeping businesses in check.

worldsayshi 8y ago
People like you are never highlighted by people who want to ignore climate change. It's much more convenient to point at the hypocrites and see them as representative.
- KozmoNau7 8y ago
  Exactly, it's much easier to argue against a strawman, after all. And I will fully admit that I am not perfect. I don't buy everything local, and I do have to travel by plane a couple of times per year. But I do make an effort, still.

worldsayshi 8y ago

It seems to me that people tend to lend disproportionate focus to hypocrisy when it comes to climate change. Leading by example is a good thing but it's not the most important thing. The most important thing is always to find the most impactful change.