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The economy is inseparable from the climate issue. The way humanity conducts itself economically greatly determines the scale of emissions we produce through en
by notabee 7y ago
The economy is inseparable from the climate issue. The way humanity conducts itself economically greatly determines the scale of emissions we produce through energy use, agriculture, concrete production, land use, etc. There is no way to maintain indefinite growth to sustain such an economy on a finite planet. We overproduce and inefficiently distribute or waste goods. All of that energy consumes fossil fuels. There's no way to address the climate issue adequately without also addressing economic incentives, short of us stumbling on some magical technology that allows massive net negative carbon capture from the atmosphere. Nothing like that exists, and we're far past the point where planting trees will make that math work out. Just asking everyone nicely to please consume less, or pleading with the fossil fuel industry to please stop pumping disinformation out in order to continue reaping profit, is not going to cut it. This economic engine still runs on oil and we need a new one very quickly. The excess that flows as wealth mainly and increasingly to those who already have far too much is brought about by cheap energy, labor, and automation. That party is about to end, both due to increasing cost of fossil fuel extraction and the climate turning hostile.