4 ms·
> What if we _can't_ make the alternatives more appealing? > We _need_ to start pricing in externalities I might've been arguing the OP at crossed purposes, a
by wastedhours 7y ago
> What if we _can't_ make the alternatives more appealing?
> We _need_ to start pricing in externalities
I might've been arguing the OP at crossed purposes, as my point seems compatible with yours, just framed differently at the point of delivery. We can't rely on the population to just decide "I'm going to do the right thing today". We make it a non-choice as you say. That can either be "it's cheaper/easier/better" or "you'll be locked up if not". It's quite a compelling narrative either way.
Just expecting large swathes of quite evidently moronic people (without delving too far into politics, if you agree the current political climate is as the result of ignorance, that's a sh*t-tonne of ignorant people out there - on the order of billions of people worldwide) to decide to look out for the interests of us as a collective is frankly wrong.
I agree with you - but I think we need to move past the "do it for the planet/species" argument as there's a lot of people who don't care and will be ridiculous in their stubbornness. The scale of it just doesn't work when trying to convince people. But show them how their heating bills will be cheaper and that they'll get a 6-month suspended if they throw a bottle in the sea, and things might change sooner.
- esotericn 7y agoSure. I mean, it's not "them". It's us. Everyone. I do bad things all the time because I have little agency. I'm planning to make some major changes to move towards that, but still, if every store around me uses plastic in food etc I can't skip it. We need to price in externalities. It's that simple. We need to cut this bullshit about the 'short-term economy' or phasing things out over 40 years or whatever; this isn't an emotional argument. If we don't account for the cost of pollution we are going to kill ourselves.