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As consumer you have an impact, at least it sets an example and gives credibility. This reminds me of "climate activists" who fly around the world in private je

As consumer you have an impact, at least it sets an example and gives credibility. This reminds me of "climate activists" who fly around the world in private jets to preach!

kiliantics 5y ago
Your biggest impact is as a worker. Most of us produce more than we consume (where the excess usually becomes investor profits). We really need to produce less or our consumption won't make a difference. In the past, workers formed unions and collectively bargained with governments and employers to reduce working hours down to the standard work week we know today. We could reduce this further to a 4- or a 3-day work week. We could also use collective worker power to demand many other things, such as stricter environmental standards in the workplace, just as we bargained for stricter health standards in the past. Or better environmental standards for children in schools or for public spaces, just as we bargained for children's rights and other standards in the past. (All these modern standards were fought for, they were not handed out freely)
- throw63738 5y ago
  My work laptop uses like 50 watts. My personal consumption just from breathing is way higher. Unions are bad for environment. They block progress and force subsidies on old, inefficient and dirty technologies. Soviet Union had horrible environmental record.
  - rsd79 5y ago
    You are confusing soviet propaganda with soviet reality. There were no worker unions in Soviet Union.
bjourne 5y ago
It really grinds my gears when people bring up effigies that does not exist at all in the real world. Very few people fly around the world in private jets. Of those who do, none are environmentalists.
- jazzyjackson 5y ago
  It is a common snipe at Leonardo DiCaprio, typified by headlines like: "Leonardo DiCaprio took an outrageous 8000 mile trip in a private jet to pick up an environmental award" [0]. Really I think being a hypocrite is a good strategy to get the press to write about you. [0] https://qz.com/690321/leonardo-dicaprio-took-an-outrageous-8000-mile-trip-in-a-private-jet-to-pick-up-an-environmental-award/ https://qz.com/690321/leonardo-dicaprio-took-an-outrageous-8...

As consumer you have an impact, at least it sets an example and gives credibility. This reminds me of "climate activists" who fly around the world in private jets to preach!

kiliantics 5y ago

Your biggest impact is as a worker. Most of us produce more than we consume (where the excess usually becomes investor profits). We really need to produce less or our consumption won't make a difference. In the past, workers formed unions and collectively bargained with governments and employers to reduce working hours down to the standard work week we know today. We could reduce this further to a 4- or a 3-day work week. We could also use collective worker power to demand many other things, such as stricter environmental standards in the workplace, just as we bargained for stricter health standards in the past. Or better environmental standards for children in schools or for public spaces, just as we bargained for children's rights and other standards in the past. (All these modern standards were fought for, they were not handed out freely)

throw63738 5y ago
My work laptop uses like 50 watts. My personal consumption just from breathing is way higher. Unions are bad for environment. They block progress and force subsidies on old, inefficient and dirty technologies. Soviet Union had horrible environmental record.
- rsd79 5y ago
  You are confusing soviet propaganda with soviet reality. There were no worker unions in Soviet Union.

bjourne 5y ago

It really grinds my gears when people bring up effigies that does not exist at all in the real world. Very few people fly around the world in private jets. Of those who do, none are environmentalists.

jazzyjackson 5y ago
It is a common snipe at Leonardo DiCaprio, typified by headlines like: "Leonardo DiCaprio took an outrageous 8000 mile trip in a private jet to pick up an environmental award" [0]. Really I think being a hypocrite is a good strategy to get the press to write about you. [0] https://qz.com/690321/leonardo-dicaprio-took-an-outrageous-8000-mile-trip-in-a-private-jet-to-pick-up-an-environmental-award/ https://qz.com/690321/leonardo-dicaprio-took-an-outrageous-8...