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I see many comments here, in various media, and hear in real world conversations blaming corporations and billionaires. They're not faultless but we should be
by prng2021 4y ago
I see many comments here, in various media, and hear in real world conversations blaming corporations and billionaires. They're not faultless but we should be way more critical of ourselves as average citizens.
Every year we want bigger and bigger cars, particularly in the West, but it's a global long term trend. If you compare pretty much any 2022 vs 2002 model vehicle, say the Honda Accord, you're going to be shocked by the increase in physical dimensions.
How is that not incredibly hypocritical to want ever larger cars (mostly SUVs and trucks now) and yet point fingers at the companies we work for for their poor ESG funding and goals? We aren't even willing to accept cars that remain the same dimensions. They literally have to be bigger. That's despite average family sizes gradually declining for many decades. Climate change matters.. but not enough to give up the chance for a larger car next time.
Bigger vehicles means more materials (plastics, metals, etc), weight that could have been shaved, worse fuel/battery efficiency, and it wouldn't surprise me if it requires signifantly more asphalt and road repairs over time to accommodate the vehicles.
I could keep going about how obsessed we are with more and more horsepower and with lower 0-60 mph times, all of which are extremely excessive wants in the face of climate change.
- Gigachad 4y agoBill calls for greater innovation, but as soon as we get more efficient things, we just consume more. We have constantly gotten better and better tech, and yet our consumption of resources only goes up. It seems that resource usage has nothing to do with how efficient or advanced our tech is, but simply the maximum amount of human labor we can allocate to resource extracting. So climate change can only really be solved by a lower population.
- The_Amp_Walrus 4y ago> as soon as we get more efficient things, we just consume more That doesn't seem to be true in terms of C02 output https://www.google.com/search?q=us+carbon+emissions+per+capita https://www.google.com/search?q=us+carbon+emissions+per+capi...
- throwanapple 4y agoLook more globally.
- syockit 4y ago> but as soon as we get more efficient things, we just consume more. A phenomenon known as Jevons paradox.
- t0bia_s 4y ago"So climate change can only really be solved by a lower population." It sounds like Nazi slogan.
- t0bia_s 4y agoIt is pure consumerism. You can add smartphones, clothes... Many things that we don't actually need to buy every year but yet, companies produce more and more for higher profit. Blaming billionaires and corporations from brand new iPhone on networks made by big-tech sounds ironical indeed.
- prng2021 4y agoConsumerism requires consumers. Companies stop or slow down producing things that consumers won't buy. Here are examples specific to phones and big tech: https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/apple-reportedly-wont-boost-iphone-14-production/ https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/apple-reportedly-wont-b... https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/09/29/google-to-shut-gaming-service-stadia-in-latest-cost-cutting-effort.html https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/09/29/google-to-shut-gaming-se...