3 ms·

No one, especially the rich, wants to compromise their current standard of living or economic situation for what would be required to turn this around. So we k

No one, especially the rich, wants to compromise their current standard of living or economic situation for what would be required to turn this around. So we keep on pretending this isn't happening, hoping someone can figure out a way to reverse all of this someday while maintaining the current standard of living.

tcfhgj 3y ago
No one isn't true....
throwawayformom 3y ago
> ...hoping someone can figure out a way to reverse all of this someday while maintaining the current standard of living. This is exactly the case of my mother and many of her peers (in their 70s, boomers). Whenever the topic comes up she'll say something to the extent of "well someone really smart will figure out a solution and fix it. I hope." It's not that any of them deny it's happening, they just think humans are smart and will figure out how to reverse the consequences of the way they lived their entire lives. I love my mom, but it's delusional to think this is a problem someone will have a single "aha" moment over.
- hdjjhhvvhga 3y ago
  Well, but do you blame her? What a person in their seventies can do to prevent the catastrophe? Probably at most they can become vegetarian and it would still have relatively low impact on global warming anyway. The tough decisions are to be taken by a few very specific people, and the rest can either support them or not. The way I see it, we haven't reached the point where such decisions would be met with unanimous support yet.
  - stouset 3y ago
    Yes, of course I (partially) blame my parents, who are also in their seventies. The science has been clear for decades. But when their generation was younger and presented with the opportunity to do something about it, they punted. It was too difficult. It will let China “win”. It’s not even happening anyway, and if it is, it’s the sun and volcanoes but not anthropogenic. Now that we’re all living in the future brought about by their political and economic choices, they’re supposed to get a pass because they’re too old to make an impact? Their generation is still the main voting bloc that prevents real change.
etrautmann 3y ago
That’s a false presentation. With appropriate policy level changes we can make enormous progress towards decarbonization yet this requires an effective political situation. The solution is fixing the people systems abs everything else derives from that.
RcouF1uZ4gsC 3y ago
> No one, especially the rich, wants to compromise their current standard of living or economic situation for what would be required to turn this around. And the poor don’t want to give up the possibility of increasing their living standard to become like the rich. In the developing world, millions of people dream of having air conditioning and cars. They will not be happy with politicians that do things that take away that possibility from them.
- bryanlarsen 3y ago
  In a great example of having your cake and eating it too: AFAICT in Germany they currently have some significant incentives to replace fossil fuel powered heating with a heat pump. A heat pump is also an air conditioner, so lots of Germans are getting air conditioning for the first time while at the same time significantly reducing their carbon output.

tcfhgj 3y ago

No one isn't true....

throwawayformom 3y ago

> ...hoping someone can figure out a way to reverse all of this someday while maintaining the current standard of living. This is exactly the case of my mother and many of her peers (in their 70s, boomers). Whenever the topic comes up she'll say something to the extent of "well someone really smart will figure out a solution and fix it. I hope." It's not that any of them deny it's happening, they just think humans are smart and will figure out how to reverse the consequences of the way they lived their entire lives. I love my mom, but it's delusional to think this is a problem someone will have a single "aha" moment over.

hdjjhhvvhga 3y ago
Well, but do you blame her? What a person in their seventies can do to prevent the catastrophe? Probably at most they can become vegetarian and it would still have relatively low impact on global warming anyway. The tough decisions are to be taken by a few very specific people, and the rest can either support them or not. The way I see it, we haven't reached the point where such decisions would be met with unanimous support yet.
- stouset 3y ago
  Yes, of course I (partially) blame my parents, who are also in their seventies. The science has been clear for decades. But when their generation was younger and presented with the opportunity to do something about it, they punted. It was too difficult. It will let China “win”. It’s not even happening anyway, and if it is, it’s the sun and volcanoes but not anthropogenic. Now that we’re all living in the future brought about by their political and economic choices, they’re supposed to get a pass because they’re too old to make an impact? Their generation is still the main voting bloc that prevents real change.

etrautmann 3y ago

That’s a false presentation. With appropriate policy level changes we can make enormous progress towards decarbonization yet this requires an effective political situation. The solution is fixing the people systems abs everything else derives from that.

RcouF1uZ4gsC 3y ago

> No one, especially the rich, wants to compromise their current standard of living or economic situation for what would be required to turn this around. And the poor don’t want to give up the possibility of increasing their living standard to become like the rich. In the developing world, millions of people dream of having air conditioning and cars. They will not be happy with politicians that do things that take away that possibility from them.

bryanlarsen 3y ago
In a great example of having your cake and eating it too: AFAICT in Germany they currently have some significant incentives to replace fossil fuel powered heating with a heat pump. A heat pump is also an air conditioner, so lots of Germans are getting air conditioning for the first time while at the same time significantly reducing their carbon output.