|
Captain Fargle posted:Climate change is something that worries me a lot, particularly as someone who loving hates hot weather. Obviously if I could just snap my fingers and fix everything I would but even though I can't that's no reason to just roll over and give up. Sitting around whining about how we're all going to die isn't going to help anyone so my question is: you literally can't, which is one of the mental hurdles people have trouble getting over climate collapse is being caused by massive organizations who do more damage tenfold to the planet in a day than you, as an individual, can mitigate over the course of a lifetime this is why solutions are often described as a matter of "political will," i.e. preventing these corporate forces from polluting so extravagantly, and why those corporations have done everything in their power to render such solutions impossible
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:17
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 13:32 |
|
|
Captain Fargle posted:Climate change is something that worries me a lot, particularly as someone who loving hates hot weather. Obviously if I could just snap my fingers and fix everything I would but even though I can't that's no reason to just roll over and give up. Sitting around whining about how we're all going to die isn't going to help anyone so my question is: Are you a billionaire, CEO, or head of state? If not, there is nothing you can do. Your task now is to accept this and come to peace with it. It's the only way you will get some semblance of worry about climate change out of your life. Find joy in the things you do and the people you get to be with. Try to reduce suffering when you can. Be humbled. Love. Read some philosophy. We are all so terrified of being pushed off a cliff. We never realize that we got pushed off that cliff the moment we were born. Climate change doesn't change that fact.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:20
|
|
|
Oxxidation posted:you literally can't, which is one of the mental hurdles people have trouble getting over Just because it's irrelevant on a global scale doesn't mean I'm incapable of doing anything at all. I realise it's not going to solve anything but it would at least provide some peace of mind and encourage positive habits you know?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:23
|
|
|
Captain Fargle posted:Just because it's irrelevant on a global scale doesn't mean I'm incapable of doing anything at all. I realise it's not going to solve anything but it would at least provide some peace of mind and encourage positive habits you know? Do what you feel is right. Start a garden. Reduce plastic consumption. Ride a bike. Cut back on beef and fish. None of it will matter, really. But if it makes you feel good, do it. When all the lifeboats were gone on the Titanic, people futilely tried to create rafts from deck chairs and life jackets. Some got drunk. Others tried to break through the cages that separated them from first class without realizing that it was all over. Most fled to the rear of the ship and tried to stay out of the water for as long as possible. Personally, I like how the band members reacted. With such little time left, and amongst panic and horror, they played music. This is what I hope to do with my life.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:30
|
|
|
poopinmymouth posted:Can you unpack what you mean by that? I think I get it but not sure if you have a more specific example in mind. Let's say Phoenix has a days-long power outage during one of these epic heat waves. People end up dying and some might get angry enough to engage in acts of violence. Who would they attack?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:32
|
|
|
Captain Fargle posted:Climate change is something that worries me a lot, particularly as someone who loving hates hot weather. Obviously if I could just snap my fingers and fix everything I would but even though I can't that's no reason to just roll over and give up. Sitting around whining about how we're all going to die isn't going to help anyone so my question is: Go scare the poo poo out of your representatives. Don't let the most important problem in human history (hell, probably THE problem for sentient beings across the entire universe) be relegated to being a bottom of the list issue
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:34
|
|
|
sitchensis posted:Do what you feel is right. Start a garden. Reduce plastic consumption. Ride a bike. Cut back on beef and fish. That actually brings up a question, how does raising certain animals for meat stack up against each other? Does raising pigs have less impact than cows?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:38
|
|
|
Well, as an individual you can attempt to organize with other individuals to create a critical mass in opposition to those other giant institutions that are causing such damage and destruction. Or at least get big enough to poke em in the eye a bunch.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:42
|
|
|
Captain Fargle posted:Just because it's irrelevant on a global scale doesn't mean I'm incapable of doing anything at all. I realise it's not going to solve anything but it would at least provide some peace of mind and encourage positive habits you know? The best thing you can do at this point is get into local politics. Often times, there's a local environmental issue that the community needs to address. If left alone, corporations or pro-capitalist politicians have a tenancy to gently caress over the environment, but with popular pressure or by electing the right politicians, you can make a significant contribution. The more small political pro-environment movements we have, the bigger chance we have of a larger movement taking off that will be able to make real change. Given that, as the above posters mentioned, it's mostly massive, powerful corporations and their bought-off politicians responsible for climate change (100 companies are responsible for 71% of emissions), this also means that if there's not an environmental issue locally, tackle an economic one. Fighting for local anti-poverty measures, affordable housing, or the like also helps build movements, and by attacking the power of the rich and building the power of everyday people, you are taking a small step towards combating climate change as well. The example I'll point to is one I worked on. In northern Washington, several large corporations were trying to build a coal export terminal. Doing so would be bad for climate change, and also devastate local air quality, water quality, and risk destructive spills. The major threat wasn't just near the port, but anywhere along the train tracks running from Wyoming to Washington. Activists in the town I was in at the time got together in rallies, marches, city council meetings, and legislative proposals and also started an green/blue environmentalist and union coalition to work out not just a way to stop the terminal, but a way to get good paying, green jobs locally. Activists also talked with other activists along the entire west coast to help organize resistance to other proposed coal terminal spots. The most successful activism came from the Lummi Nation. They used their rights and local power to, after years of work, put a stop to the terminal. In fact, every coal export terminal proposed for the US and Canada was defeated. The Lummi also worked with other American Indian nations all along the route and in Canada. That activism, unity, and social consciousness among American Indians popped again to oppose the Keystone oil pipeline (activists from Washington joined the protests there), which made national headlines. It's something that happened over the course of years, and still needs years more of work, but that's the kind of activism that is going to make a difference. This thread has a major sadbrains issue where many posters look at the impossible scope of addressing climate change as a whole, and concluding because no one action will solve it, no action should be taken. You will not solve climate change, but you might take a step in the right direction locally, and that's worth it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:47
|
|
|
Uranium Phoenix posted:The best thing you can do at this point is get into local politics. Often times, there's a local environmental issue that the community needs to address. If left alone, corporations or pro-capitalist politicians have a tenancy to gently caress over the environment, but with popular pressure or by electing the right politicians, you can make a significant contribution. The more small political pro-environment movements we have, the bigger chance we have of a larger movement taking off that will be able to make real change. Given that, as the above posters mentioned, it's mostly massive, powerful corporations and their bought-off politicians responsible for climate change (100 companies are responsible for 71% of emissions), this also means that if there's not an environmental issue locally, tackle an economic one. Fighting for local anti-poverty measures, affordable housing, or the like also helps build movements, and by attacking the power of the rich and building the power of everyday people, you are taking a small step towards combating climate change as well. I'm genuinely unsure if there's any opportunity for this at all here in Northern Ireland given the current ridiculous political quagmire we're in, (Northern Ireland hasn't actually had a government for the last year and a half) but maybe there's something in the local council issues I could get involved with.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:50
|
|
|
VideoGameVet posted:Let's say Phoenix has a days-long power outage during one of these epic heat waves. People end up dying and some might get angry enough to engage in acts of violence. Minorities.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 16:57
|
|
|
Captain Fargle posted:Climate change is something that worries me a lot, particularly as someone who loving hates hot weather. Obviously if I could just snap my fingers and fix everything I would but even though I can't that's no reason to just roll over and give up. Sitting around whining about how we're all going to die isn't going to help anyone so my question is: Join the local chapter of a sufficiently-green political organization and participate in whatever they're working on. Make sure it's an organization that is okay with being partisan, because in the US, that's the reality. If there isn't a working group on local climate change hardening, green energy, etc, pick one and suggest they start one. Attend local civic events and just chat with people. It's surprising how interested people can sometimes be to see and hear about the meat and potatoes of climate science beyond "Nearly all reputable scientists agree it's real." Wanna second everything Uranium Phoenix is saying, too Edit: Skeptical Science is a godly tool. Potato Salad fucked around with this message at 17:04 on Jul 24, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:02
|
|
|
Captain Fargle posted:I'm genuinely unsure if there's any opportunity for this at all here in Northern Ireland given the current ridiculous political quagmire we're in, (Northern Ireland hasn't actually had a government for the last year and a half) but maybe there's something in the local council issues I could get involved with. Sometimes it takes some digging to find what it is you can do. The group I joined, Socialist Alternative, ended up being how I connected with other groups and found out about local issues and movements. The amount of politically active people where I was was minuscule, so they were hard to find at first. The British equivalent of SA is the Socialist Party, part of the CWI. I'm a bit out of the loop so I have no idea what they're up to or what kind of presence they have in Northern Ireland. Uranium Phoenix fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Jul 24, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:09
|
|
|
Potato Salad posted:Join the local chapter of a sufficiently-green political organization and participate in whatever they're working on. Make sure it's an organization that is okay with being partisan, because in the US, that's the reality. If there isn't a working group on local climate change hardening, green energy, etc, pick one and suggest they start one. Attend local civic events and just chat with people. It's surprising how interested people can sometimes be to see and hear about the meat and potatoes of climate science beyond "Nearly all reputable scientists agree it's real." I'm certainly not joining up with the Northern Ireland Green Party. Sadly like most Green Parties they endorse a lot of stupid alt medicine crap etc. I really wish Labour would field candidates here. Will definitely check the local news to see if there's anything relevant I can attend though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:11
|
|
|
Things to do to help w climate change: - Minimize your transportation burden - Minimize your food burden - Advocate for women's rights globally - Learn about climate dynamics so you can have good conversations with others about climate change - Talk to people about climate change and spread the word Also don't listen to anyone that says personal choices don't matter. By living a carbon-restricted lifestyle you get a better understanding of what policy changes are important to make low carbon living easier. And throwing in another rec for skeptical science. Phenomenal resource with great contributors. Notorious R.I.M. fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Jul 24, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:13
|
|
|
Oxxidation posted:you literally can't, which is one of the mental hurdles people have trouble getting over. Sigh. I know I'm going to regret going up against the wall of cynicism but you really, really need to understand something here. Writing off individual action because of the scale of the problem ignores several important factors: 1- In a group action that requires participation from all parties the importance of one party's decision to act assumes the weight of the whole group. Which is to say, if set X has ten elements and all ten must qualify for the set to qualify, then each individual element has 100% weight in the consideration of "does the set qualify". It's not just as simple as arithmetically figuring each element carries 1/10 of the responsibility to qualify, they all assume 100% because they're all absolutely needed. This is equally true in a set with aprox seven billion elements like humanity. 2- Your actions are not in a vacuum, they can inform and inspire others. People look to the example of others all the time, so even if you acting in an eco-concious fashion has only a 1/7,000,000,000 direct effect, it can also have much greater indirect effects because the set is interconnected. That old chestnut about the pen being mightier than the sword is no joke: individual writers, speakers and yes, even investors can have huge impacts on how society functions as a group. We're kind of set up as a species around this very idea. It's called leadership. 3- By the same token, despair and defeatism have outsized influences, so not giving in to them does have value. Heck, by trying to convince another person to give up you're admitting this: even by the bad sadbrains math you're trying to increase your influence as a non-actor from 1/7,000,000,000 to 2/7,000,000,000 by changing the actions of another element. But for the person asking how they can help, the answer is influence others positively. Set a good example and spread it. Write, or engage in whatever artform or other form of outreach you prefer. Even if you directly comprise only one seven billionth of the set, your influence as an element on other elements can be much larger, IF you don't give in to defeatism and underestimation. Yes it's true that as an individual you can't do anything that matters. But groups are made of individuals in complex relationship to each other, and groups can accomplish a lot. If you feel strongly about an ethical issue seize leadership and push for change. It not only works, it's the only thing that works. -Edited to be nicer. Physician heal thy self! BoldFrankensteinMir fucked around with this message at 17:36 on Jul 24, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:17
|
|
|
The best thing you as an individual can do is invent some sort of carbon capture device that can remove carbon from the atmosphere on a massive scale. Not sure what the first step is, probably get some beakers, Bunsen burners, etc.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:21
|
|
|
Burt Buckle posted:The best thing you as an individual can do is invent some sort of carbon capture device that can remove carbon from the atmosphere on a massive scale. Not sure what the first step is, probably get some beakers, Bunsen burners, etc. Oh yeah, this too. One invention can change the whole world, as made painfully clear by the very problem we're trying to fix here.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:26
|
|
|
Just to get it out of the way, there isn't some kind of particularly efficient carbon sucking mulch I could spread in my garden is there?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:34
|
|
|
Zeroscaping helps cut down on water usage and therefore reduces energy demand for water treatment. And helping to popularize the look can help combat larger wasteful groundskeeping trends.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:38
|
|
|
BoldFrankensteinMir posted:Zeroscaping helps cut down on water usage and therefore reduces energy demand for water treatment. And helping to popularize the look can help combat larger wasteful groundskeeping trends. Could you elaborate on that? My yard is mostly minimally tended grass with some large bushes and the rest is a large concrete driveway. (Large by UK standards. It's an old house.) There's a lot of space I could potentially grow stuff although it would mostly have to be in pots.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:40
|
|
|
I badly misspelled it, but the idea is to use plants that don't require irrigation, or even stuff like rocks and sand gardens that require no water at all. I keep cactus myself and they're very pretty, they even flower at times of the year.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:48
|
|
|
Uranium Phoenix posted:The best thing you can do at this point is get into local politics. Often times, there's a local environmental issue that the community needs to address. If left alone, corporations or pro-capitalist politicians have a tenancy to gently caress over the environment, but with popular pressure or by electing the right politicians, you can make a significant contribution. Very similar to the example UP gives, my town across the river from Portland OR has a port that oil companies wanted to expand operations at, creating a rail oil pipeline effectively across the country along the gorge. For reference, just two years ago we had a large spill in the gorge at a town called Mosier. A movement grew against this, a pivotal election for port commissioner was held, and wouldn't you know it the newly-elected commissioner, who ran on letting the lease expire with oil companies, did just that. http://www.columbian.com/news/2018/feb/27/port-of-vancouver-commission-moves-to-end-oil-terminal-lease/  Pictured above: cool old ladies working to help the environment
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:49
|
|
|
hang on it's "xeriscaping" y'all uh, phonetically similar I guess but the meaning conveyed is wildly differentNotorious R.I.M. posted:
Yup, and by taking these actions now, which will by necessity be the default if we ever pull our institutional Head out of our rear end, you can be inured to the inevitable shock, and help prepare others to be so as well. It is remarkably difficult for even the most educated and aware person to imagine a carbon-neutral societal structure, much less a carbon-negative one.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 17:55
|
|
|
Oxxidation posted:you literally can't, which is one of the mental hurdles people have trouble getting over https://twitter.com/kall963/status/881215046814248960
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 18:13
|
|
|
Gunshow Poophole posted:hang on it's "xeriscaping" y'all uh, phonetically similar I guess but the meaning conveyed is wildly different Yeah my bad, never realized it until now. Also very good point about getting used to future standards of living, there are tons of reasons to act in an eco-concious fashion, even purely pragmatic ones.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 18:14
|
|
|
Captain Fargle posted:Just to get it out of the way, there isn't some kind of particularly efficient carbon sucking mulch I could spread in my garden is there? Crushed basalt actually, but you probably produce more carbon-dioxide transporting it from the quarry->store->your garden then you could ever hope to sequester.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 18:17
|
|
|
Nocturtle posted:Crushed basalt actually, but you probably produce more carbon-dioxide transporting it from the quarry->store->your garden then you could ever hope to sequester. That definitely seems like something that's only viable on an industrial scale, yeah.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 18:49
|
|
|
sitchensis posted:Personally, I like how the band members reacted. With such little time left, and amongst panic and horror, they played music. This is what I hope to do with my life. That's because there were guns pointed at them, you loving mark.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 18:59
|
|
|
BoldFrankensteinMir posted:Yeah my bad, never realized it until now. Also very good point about getting used to future standards of living, there are tons of reasons to act in an eco-concious fashion, even purely pragmatic ones. oh whoops didn't see you'd clarified in your other post, I didn't mean to dogpile  Nocturtle posted:Crushed basalt actually, but you probably produce more carbon-dioxide transporting it from the quarry->store->your garden then you could ever hope to sequester. seems like you could write policy to mandate integration of viable tailings and fill dirt from mining into the broader resource cycle instead of just... leaving it places
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 19:03
|
|
|
Cynicism is a paralytic and will serve no one in the end. Hope is a far more powerful motivator. There is a ton that the individual can do to help. I rent an apartment and I am putting pressure on management to put recycling containers in the trash rooms. I am trying to get more people active in the community garden nearby. I started a sustainable self watering herb garden on my balcony and I collect rain water to water my plants. Every time you get up and pitch in it does have an impact. Edit: I am trying to lower my energy usage right now. I am trying to unplug things when I am not using them because I read they still use energy if they are plugged into the wall but not turned on. Any other suggestions? friendbot2000 fucked around with this message at 19:14 on Jul 24, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 19:11
|
|
|
Captain Fargle posted:Just to get it out of the way, there isn't some kind of particularly efficient carbon sucking mulch I could spread in my garden is there? yes if you feed the families of the 0.1% into your mulcher
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 19:38
|
|
|
Gunshow Poophole posted:seems like you could write policy to mandate integration of viable tailings and fill dirt from mining into the broader resource cycle instead of just... leaving it places Nah, tailings and overburden are either best used to return the landscape to pre-mine contours, are toxic enough to be a danger themselves, or wouldn't be worth transporting to use in a broad sense. friendbot2000 posted:Cynicism is a paralytic and will serve no one in the end. Hope is a far more powerful motivator. While I argue that political action (especially at the local level) is by far the most effective form of individual action (since it also collectivizes quickly), if you're talking just reducing your energy consumption look to reduce transportation and heating/cooling in particular. Huge efficiencies can be gained there probably some of the biggest and easiest. Insulating the home, not car commuting alone, reducing AC temp, etc.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 19:46
|
|
|
friendbot2000 posted:Any other suggestions? Bicycle and public transit! They don't have to completely replace a personal auto (although good for you if you can swing it), but even just one commute a week not only reduces your footprint directly, it also helps support and promote alternative transportation. One of the biggest obstacles to better support for bike lanes, bus routes and train routes is a perceived lack of interest. This is even more important if you're a lady, because especially in the US there's a stigma that public transit is not safe for women, which essentially turns cars into burkas. The solution is not to hide from danger, it's to confront it. Access to safe public transportation is a women's rights issue and supporting the right to be safe in public, even if you're a man just acting respectfully, supports positive social changes in multiple arenas!
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 19:48
|
|
|
The only thing making you guys post "There's nothing you can do!" is doctrinaire individualism. You know what you can do? Organize for revolution for gently caress's sake do it already oh my GOD!
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 19:52
|
|
|
Perry Mason Jar posted:The only thing making you guys post "There's nothing you can do!" is doctrinaire individualism. That and greed. And cowardice. Personal sacrifice cuts into the bottom line and might not work, so it's real easy to hand-wave it away. As a general rule of thumb, if you want to give up on something before you've even tried it, examine your motives. I say this not as some rear end in a top hat trying to lay blame, but rather as an rear end in a top hat who has lied to himself way too many times already and hopes others will avoid the traps I know too well. "I don't think it will work so I won't even try" is a sad way to live, I know from personal experience.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 20:04
|
|
|
Trabisnikof posted:While I argue that political action (especially at the local level) is by far the most effective form of individual action (since it also collectivizes quickly), if you're talking just reducing your energy consumption look to reduce transportation and heating/cooling in particular. Huge efficiencies can be gained there probably some of the biggest and easiest. Insulating the home, not car commuting alone, reducing AC temp, etc. Oh absolutely! I write my local government multiple times a week. A bunch of fellow bat lovers and I are trying to get bat boxes put up in all the parks so they dont have to use so much pesticides....it also helps my garden *shakes fist at harlequin bugs*. We are also trying to get the city council and state to encourage use of solar energy. It is a process, but we have some good assemblymen and woman on our side. A group I am a part of saw some nice efforts in getting the local landfill to switch to methane power (that they captured already from the landfill) and a lot of municipal buildings in the area are starting to hook up to it. You can change things to be more sustainable. Most governing happens at the local and state level. Get involved.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 20:11
|
|
|
Hope is naive but you go ahead and do whatever it takes to be able to sleep at night.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 20:13
|
|
|
Shifty Nipples posted:Hope is naive but you go ahead and do whatever it takes to be able to sleep at night. well okay I guess that settles that then *blows brains out*
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 20:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 13:32 |
|
|
Get involved in local politics. My pet project is requiring more water permeable urban areas to reduce freshwater runoff since that kills all the coral
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2018 20:26
|
|
