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You know, we could stop this nonsense in less than a year if we wanted to. Do you know why we won't? Of course you do. You know the answers just as well as I d

You know, we could stop this nonsense in less than a year if we wanted to. Do you know why we won't? Of course you do. You know the answers just as well as I do. Firstly, you have to understand the role of the human ego. Some people like playing the revolutionary role, but many people don't. People who want revolution think the answer is to get other people to take up their cause, to think like they think, become committed to a just world. Can you not see why it's ineffective? Can not see that all you end up doing is preaching to the converted? If you want an fast, effective environmental revolution, you downplay the rhetoric. You make it mundane. You make it so people can join in without needing to act or think in a set way. You stop trying to fix everything all at once and you focus your efforts on breaking down the problems systematically. As an example, think about how the conversations surrounding fossil fuel usage have evolved. At first the main argument was about global warming/climate change, how we must change to save the planet. It helped build awareness, debate, column inches in newspapers, etc... but the arguments were too easily swayed by climate change deniers, who could cherry pick various statistics in order to further their case. However, luckily we found a better argument... peak oil. Peak oil is a simple concept to explain. We're using crude oil at a much faster rate than it's being produced, and there will come a tipping point after which we will have no choice to use less oil, as it'll be harder to come by and more expensive. The concept is simple, it stands up logically, you don't need to follow the latest developments in order to appreciate its validity, all positive points. But the most positive point at all, there's no cultural baggage that comes along with it. There's no lifestyle expectations that come from taking it to heart. It's a less emotionally stimulating idea, and it's all the more effective for it. So let's look at this Amazon carbon capacity issue. Let's look at what works. Easy first focus, deforestation. People are cutting down trees in the Amazon rainforest in order to make a living. So you focus on giving those people other options to make a living, options that take away the need to cut down rainforest trees. Is it as cathartic as shouting in the streets about saving the rainforest? No. Is it more effective? You know the answer.

meric 12y ago
The world's environmental problems is ultimately a single over-consumption problem. We consume too much: * fossil fuels * trees * fish * food & fertiliser & antibiotics It'll be difficult to convince others to spend less. We're currently taxed on how much we extract the earth's resources for other's use. I think to solve the consumption problem this is the wrong way to go. It would align incentives more to tax consumption instead. This will better encourage people to not spend. Of course this goes against what the ECB and the Federal reserve's objective, to increase GDP and thus, consumption, reducing our forests, increasing our CO2 output, and destroying our fisheries. The world's capital and political system is aligned the wrong way around in creating a sustainable system to manage humankind's allocation of production and consumption. I think it will be too difficult to change the world, and the only thing I can do is to encourage my own frugality.

meric 12y ago

The world's environmental problems is ultimately a single over-consumption problem. We consume too much: * fossil fuels * trees * fish * food & fertiliser & antibiotics It'll be difficult to convince others to spend less. We're currently taxed on how much we extract the earth's resources for other's use. I think to solve the consumption problem this is the wrong way to go. It would align incentives more to tax consumption instead. This will better encourage people to not spend. Of course this goes against what the ECB and the Federal reserve's objective, to increase GDP and thus, consumption, reducing our forests, increasing our CO2 output, and destroying our fisheries. The world's capital and political system is aligned the wrong way around in creating a sustainable system to manage humankind's allocation of production and consumption. I think it will be too difficult to change the world, and the only thing I can do is to encourage my own frugality.