3 ms·

And bring the global economy to an instant standstill? No government is going to enact such a policy, no matter how environmentally friendly its politicians are

And bring the global economy to an instant standstill? No government is going to enact such a policy, no matter how environmentally friendly its politicians are; certainly not the ones running countries that produce plastic stuff.

forinti 4y ago
We should at the very least stop producing and transporting around the globe useless items such as a plastic tree imported from China I saw on sale in Brazil. A plastic tree in Brazil that came all the way from China! It's surreal.
tehjoker 4y ago
It would be nice to have an earth that supports human life for more than one or two more lifetimes.
- endisneigh 4y ago
  I assure you even if we were to continue in our current trajectory the Earth would support human life for more than two lifetimes. This is not to say that we shouldn't stop wasting, but let's not exaggerate. That being said the Earth definitely will become less comfortable if we don't put a pin on some of this stuff.
  - TeMPOraL 4y ago
    Conversely, were the global economy collapse completely, Earth will barely support human life for even one lifetime. Obligatory reminder: unless you're Sentinelese, it's highly unlikely you or your community is actually self-sufficient. For most people, everything they eat, everything they wear, everything they live in and live with, is a product of, or is directly dependent on, international manufacturing and shipping. If that goes, billions of people starve.
- Freak_NL 4y ago
  Of course. But that doesn't change the fact that stopping the production of plastic crap within a few years is not an option beyond the hypothetical realm. Nor is convincing the majority of people to stop buying all that crap simply on the basis of a moral plea. Pricing in externalities might work eventually (and will take a few decades to realize at any significant scale).

3 ms·

And bring the global economy to an instant standstill? No government is going to enact such a policy, no matter how environmentally friendly its politicians are

by Freak_NL 4y ago

forinti 4y ago
We should at the very least stop producing and transporting around the globe useless items such as a plastic tree imported from China I saw on sale in Brazil. A plastic tree in Brazil that came all the way from China! It's surreal.
tehjoker 4y ago
It would be nice to have an earth that supports human life for more than one or two more lifetimes.
- endisneigh 4y ago
  I assure you even if we were to continue in our current trajectory the Earth would support human life for more than two lifetimes. This is not to say that we shouldn't stop wasting, but let's not exaggerate. That being said the Earth definitely will become less comfortable if we don't put a pin on some of this stuff.
  - TeMPOraL 4y ago
    Conversely, were the global economy collapse completely, Earth will barely support human life for even one lifetime. Obligatory reminder: unless you're Sentinelese, it's highly unlikely you or your community is actually self-sufficient. For most people, everything they eat, everything they wear, everything they live in and live with, is a product of, or is directly dependent on, international manufacturing and shipping. If that goes, billions of people starve.
- Freak_NL 4y ago
  Of course. But that doesn't change the fact that stopping the production of plastic crap within a few years is not an option beyond the hypothetical realm. Nor is convincing the majority of people to stop buying all that crap simply on the basis of a moral plea. Pricing in externalities might work eventually (and will take a few decades to realize at any significant scale).