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we should probably retire the term "climate activist". 1) the association with "activism" suggests fringe / special interests and indirectly inserts political
by streamofdigits 5y ago
we should probably retire the term "climate activist".
1) the association with "activism" suggests fringe / special interests and indirectly inserts political friction in deadly serious issues that are truly global and affect all of us.
2) the sustainability issues we are facing are not just about climate (and the obsession with CO2 in particular might turn counterproductive if other risks get under-reported). e.g. it is almost certain that our direction of travel does not leave room for any other major species besides domesticated ones (and those we can't eradicate like viruses and cockroaches). in same vain, our general pollution footprint (plastic, agrichemicals etc) steadily degrades the environment we all live in.
sustainability is a broad and mainstream concern and we should reframe it as such if we honestly want to find solutions.
- codeflo 5y agoOr to put it another way, because climate is now a concern that most informed people share, there’s a strategy by some political groups to try to smuggle in other, somewhat less popular demands under the same umbrella: from wildlife protection to deindustrialization to social issues.
- streamofdigits 5y agoThe problem is that any important action on climate change triggers immediately some linked social issue. from coal miners, to Amazon rainforest logging, to people resisting wind turbines in their backyard, you name it. These frictions are not trivial to resolve. The bigger issue we face is how to invent functioning (problem solving) politics, both within and between countries