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Someone will have to mandate the price of something. That sounds an awful lot like a "regulation", doesn't it ? Also, ironically, if you start regulating it (b

Someone will have to mandate the price of something. That sounds an awful lot like a "regulation", doesn't it ? Also, ironically, if you start regulating it (bannings plastics straws, disposable packaging, etc...) you'll get trashed on twitter _by_ the most ardent environmentalist, (and mocked by comedians) because it is "obviously not on the scale of the problem and just green washing that is not going to help anything vote for us instead." (source : this is what the EU is doing, and everyone is making fun of them.) Whereas if you develop a techno enzyme to eat the plastic and sell it expensively, you'll get your bonus. _shrug_

franga2000 4y ago
> this is what the EU is doing, and everyone is making fun of them Is everyone making fun of us, or is it just the americans? The ban on free plastic bags in stores had widespread support and worked out quite well. The only not strictly positive thing I've heard about the proposed plastic tax is that we need to use that money to actually do something like fund cleaning of the environment or developing sustainable materials, which is a fair and obvious point and as far as I know, that is the plan.
- phtrivier 4y ago
  The left in general is mocking the (mostly center to center-right) politicians who championed the ban of single-use plastic, explaining that its way too little an effort. Or that the whole industry should be banned yesterday. Example : https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2019/12/14/la-majorite-jugee-trop-lente-dans-sa-lutte-contre-le-plastique_6022837_823448.html https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2019/12/14/la-major... (They have the luxury of note exactly being in power, so not having to implement any of the groundbreading and radical changes they advocate.)
  - franga2000 4y ago
    I see a big difference in mocking the policy vs mocking the people proposing it or the reason they're doing it. "Greenwashing" as I understand it is the act of doing something that doesn't help or helps the environment very little, but makes it look like you care and are trying to help it. This is a description of the person and process, not as much the policy itself. I think most people would agree this is a weak policy and clearly done because its low-effort, agreeable and doesn't harm their corporate overlords much. So I can't say calling out the politicians isn't in order, but the policy itself is not actually bad. At least in my tiny corner of Europe, most of us in The Left (caps important) get this difference, but we do still have many idealists that don't, and they are usually the ones that get in the news. Maybe (I hope) it's the same over there. // I don't have any translation software handy at the moment, so I couldn't read the article, sorry
micromacrofoot 4y ago
Some cities in the us have banned plastic bags too. Mine has. Very nice to not see them entangled in trees anymore.

franga2000 4y ago

> this is what the EU is doing, and everyone is making fun of them Is everyone making fun of us, or is it just the americans? The ban on free plastic bags in stores had widespread support and worked out quite well. The only not strictly positive thing I've heard about the proposed plastic tax is that we need to use that money to actually do something like fund cleaning of the environment or developing sustainable materials, which is a fair and obvious point and as far as I know, that is the plan.

phtrivier 4y ago
The left in general is mocking the (mostly center to center-right) politicians who championed the ban of single-use plastic, explaining that its way too little an effort. Or that the whole industry should be banned yesterday. Example : https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2019/12/14/la-majorite-jugee-trop-lente-dans-sa-lutte-contre-le-plastique_6022837_823448.html https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2019/12/14/la-major... (They have the luxury of note exactly being in power, so not having to implement any of the groundbreading and radical changes they advocate.)
- franga2000 4y ago
  I see a big difference in mocking the policy vs mocking the people proposing it or the reason they're doing it. "Greenwashing" as I understand it is the act of doing something that doesn't help or helps the environment very little, but makes it look like you care and are trying to help it. This is a description of the person and process, not as much the policy itself. I think most people would agree this is a weak policy and clearly done because its low-effort, agreeable and doesn't harm their corporate overlords much. So I can't say calling out the politicians isn't in order, but the policy itself is not actually bad. At least in my tiny corner of Europe, most of us in The Left (caps important) get this difference, but we do still have many idealists that don't, and they are usually the ones that get in the news. Maybe (I hope) it's the same over there. // I don't have any translation software handy at the moment, so I couldn't read the article, sorry

micromacrofoot 4y ago

Some cities in the us have banned plastic bags too. Mine has. Very nice to not see them entangled in trees anymore.