this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
85 points (98.9% liked)
Climate - truthful information about climate, related activism and politics.
7116 readers
322 users here now
Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.
As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades:
How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world:
Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:
Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Also pretty easy to blame the president.
Presidents only get power if they win elections. And you only win elections by doing what the people want you to do.
I remember the 90s. James Hansen was saying, gotta build nuclear, get off the fossil fuels.
The Sierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists were saying, no nuclear is bad. The coal unions were saying, no don't destroy our jobs. Bill Clinton and Al Gore were in power for 8 years and these two lobby groups had a lot of influence on them.
But I also see no repentance or reform by these groups. It's always someone else's fault.
We don't need no president to tell us that we should stop driving so damn much and start walking and riding bicycles more often. One person can't fix what the entire population has caused. We have to be the change we want to see.
Individual actions can’t fix problems of a systemic nature. We need governmental policy and enforcement to lead us towards salvation.
Strangely, I both agree and disagree with your comment. It takes everyone to make the progress we need regarding climate change.
Yeah, ultimately that’s pretty much true. We all need to make the change together, but government needs to provide the structure for the transition, and the motivation for those who would rather pretend everything’s fine.
There are actually people out there willing to live totally off the grid, no electricity or nothing. I have respect for people that have the nerve and the skill to do such things, but in most areas you're legally required to have electricity.
Like WTF? Once upon a time, electricity basically didn't exist (well it did, but humans weren't generating it). Then it became a neat invention for the rich. Then it became a convenience. Then it became mandatory...
Seriously, how are we ever going to have options when energy is literally forced upon us?
Ok, I'm living in a solar powered RV, sold my car and travel around on an electric scooter. Now I just need to convince billions of other people to do the same..
True, but we also live in a society where we have to travel to work, keep the heat in our house, etc.
Voting for politicians that actually embrace solutions is also part of our responsibility.
France went from 10 tons per capita in 1973 to 6.5 in 1993 and that was not by massively taking the bicycle, but by massively building nuclear plants and high speed rail.
Sweden did the same between 1979 and 2000.
Still have a way to go down to zero, but the US is still at 15, and Germany still at 10 and Canada at 20.
Paris at least has since massively taken up the bicycle