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The worse the situation becomes, the less will be done. We could have taken action even 10, 20, or 40 years ago, but so far, we have done nothing significant t
by myshpa 3y ago
The worse the situation becomes, the less will be done.
We could have taken action even 10, 20, or 40 years ago, but so far, we have done nothing significant to prevent it from happening.
The longer we wait, the more expensive and complicated the solutions will become. Politicians are often reluctant to make unpopular moves that might anger their base, so they tend to focus on short-term goals rather than long-term sustainability (though Bernie might have been an exception, imho). We are searching for solutions that maintain the status quo.
One of the most significant issues is the exponential growth driven by our financial system's need for constant growth. Yet, we have not even begun to start discussing that.
https://futureearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/great_accel-12graph-SE.png https://futureearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/great_acc...
> If we don't, who will?
Those few who'll somehow manage to stay alive.
- basisword 3y ago>> We've so far done nothing to stop it from happening. That is completely untrue. We’ve certainly not done enough but the world of 40, 20 and even 10 years ago was much worse. Unfortunately most of the changes have been ones forced on individuals while businesses and governments continue to pollute and cause damage.
- myshpa 3y agoYou're right that the system is set up in such a way, that it often prevents meaningful changes on the individual level. However, the individuals are still consumers of those businesses, and our habits are driving their profits and further destruction. The change has to come on both levels. Let's not use it as an excuse to do nothing. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding... Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth
- throwanem 3y ago> the exponential growth of the human population driven by our financial system's need for constant growth. Yet, we have not even begun to start discussing that Probably a good place to begin that discussion would be with some sort of demonstration that this is actually a thing that's happening. It seems like a difficult [1] argument to construct, so you should probably get on that. [1] https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/world-population-by-year/ https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/world-populat...
- myshpa 3y agoThanks ... you're right, I was thinking ahead, that should not be there. "the exponential growth driven by our financial system's need for constant growth" I've updated the original comment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Acceleration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Acceleration "In tracking the effects of human activity upon the Earth, a number of socioeconomic and earth system parameters are utilized including population, economics, water usage, food production, transportation, technology, greenhouse gases, surface temperature, and natural resource usage" https://futureearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/great_accel-12graph-SE.png https://futureearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/great_acc...
- throwanem 3y agoOkay, that makes a lot more sense. Human overpopulation per se hasn't been a matter of plausible concern since the 70s; what is concerning is that the "green revolution" in agriculture is dependent on roughly our current level of technological development, and that's what has produced yields capable of supporting the human population at its current level.
- myshpa 3y ago> that's what has produced yields capable of supporting the human population at its current level Those yields are fully dependent on fossil fuels, agree. But the methods used are extremely destructive (soils, biodiversity, pollution, energy ...). That's too why the reform of agriculture (and switch to plant-based diets) is so desperately needed, and pronto.
- oezi 3y agoHuman population growth has stopped everywhere except some African countries.