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It totally makes sense for someone to try to capture the public attention about the impacts of climate change and habitat destruction on species most of don't g
by abeppu 6y ago
It totally makes sense for someone to try to capture the public attention about the impacts of climate change and habitat destruction on species most of don't get to see on the other side of the planet. Those impacts are important, and worth discussing.
But would you expect it would convince anyone to change their lifestyle or behavior, given the other evidence that people seem to just accept as the new normal? The west coast of the US is burning. And when California isn't burning, Australia is. Chunks of Florida already regularly experience "nuisance flooding" related to sea level rise, and it's frankly confusing to me that people are still building stuff in Miami. Rising temperatures have meant that the ranges of some infectious diseases have expanded in rich countries (e.g. Lyme disease in parts of Canada, Zika and Dengue in parts of the US). But most Americans, Canadians, Australians and others haven't substantially reorganized their lives to stop emissions.
If direct impacts on the lives of people living in rich and powerful countries doesn't cause people in those places to change their behavior, why would you expect them to be moved or motivated by threats to pangolins or rhinos?
- runarberg 6y agoI live near Seattle and I’m astounded to see people going about their normal lives while the air they are breathing is literally toxic. It makes me wonder how much people actually know or care about the problem as they are willing to sacrifice their lungs in order to ignore it. This also further solidifies my belief that asking people to change their lifestyles in ineffective in tackling the climate disaster. Given the choice people will carry out their normal businesses (even as the world is burning around them). What we really need is actual policy that combats this. We need the state to build the infrastructure and enact restrictions on polluting behavior so people aren’t given the choice of carrying out our polluting destructive business.
- c22 6y agoWhat's the alternative? Should everyone on the west coast have dropped what they were doing and fled over the mountains? Are we supposed to be helping to put out the fires? Or are you just astounded that we haven't all retreated to the personal hyperbaric chambers we've all pre-constructed in our respective bomb shelters? What have you been doing?
- runarberg 6y agoAccording to airnow.gov: > People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens: Avoid physical activities outdoors. > > Everyone else: Avoid strenuous outdoor activities, keep outdoor activities short, and consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling. I’ve been staying indoors, and so have many people. You definitely should not go fishing, golfing, play football in the park, etc. like I’ve been seeing people doing