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On the contrary, the rational way of solving a complex problem that cannot be addressed entirely is to break it down into smaller ones, estimate their individua
by john_moscow 7y ago
On the contrary, the rational way of solving a complex problem that cannot be addressed entirely is to break it down into smaller ones, estimate their individual cost/impact/risk and start with the most cost-effective options.
In fact, people who actively shame others for eating meat, having vacations, and raising kids, are doing exactly that. Except, instead of optimizing the ecological impact, they optimize their own emotional return through gaining influence over others, similar to religious missionaries.
I think, for everyone who actually wants to solve the climate change problem, being honest about their goals could be a good starting point.
- huntertwo 7y agoNah dude if everybody started using paper straws we would make a significant dent in plastic waste and oil production.
- john_moscow 7y agoWell, then design a decent paper straw, figure out production/sales/logistics and sell it to me at a cost that won't make a huge difference, since I don't care whether I spent $5 or $15 per year on straws. And if you say it's not realistic, than pick a realistic goal and start working on it.
- pojzon 7y agoIm pretty sure it was sarcasm on his side.
- tristor 7y agoExactly correct, which is why wealthy nations converting away from fossil fuel electricity production to nuclear baseload generation and renewables for peak load is critical. It’s the only thing which is feasible, has clear outcomes, and is obvious once the problem is broken down. Unfortunately being anti-nuclear is more emotionally fulfilling for people.
- simongr3dal 7y agoIt might be some sort of at-first-glance rational thing to do, certainly not very efficient. There are a lot of people on earth, working in parallel or asynchronously should be a lot more efficient than fixing problems synchronously one-by-one and reassessing in between?
- john_moscow 7y agoI used to think this way when I launched version 1.0 of my first software product. Just toss it out there and let people asynchronously find it, as long as it's great to use, right? 5 years and about 10 major releases later, I can confidently tell you that convincing a large group of people to do anything, even it if pays off great for them, is a long and time-consuming process, that is often more labor-intense and risky than the engineering part.
- BetaCygni 7y agoNot eating meat (or eating less meat) is VERY cost-effective and very easy to do.
- UserIsUnused 7y agoit's literally nothing compared to importing less from overseas.
- john_moscow 7y agoOnly if you don't like the taste in the first place. Not being overweight and counting calories is another topic, but restraining yourself to a highly processed bean paste instead of grilling a steak in your backyard is a very questionable thing in terms of cost/impact.