At this point we need hard societal pressure via laws to make any kind of statistical difference. I’d prefer someone be a hypocrite pushing for legislation to reduce emissions (e.g. Al Gore on a private jet) than someone who reduces locally and calls it good.
There are just too many people that don’t care for “local action” to stop the impending doom.
There is grace in fighting against impending doom.
Life can be measured by how we approach things. Never lose hope. :)
Some situations are like a jiu-jitsu match where an opponent can pin you down. In a subset of these situations and unlike in a jiu-jitsu match—you can’t tap out.
Say you’re in one of these situation.
Don’t avoid the feeling provoked by this impending doom. You can’t tap out. You cant restart the match.
In such an encounter, grace might mean to keep fighting. Keep thinking. Keep struggling. Recognize your prison.
Fortune favors the prepared mind. :)
This in no way detracts from your point - unlike the Titanic, steering away from ecological disaster too late will never make things worse, it just won't be enough - but the metaphor isn't quite apt.
The collective shift in mindset of half of the US didn’t do shit and we’re already past the point of irrevocable damage. Hard decisions need to be made (pressure all countries in the world extremely) and you using the iPhone for a few extra years is just placation to avoid real change.
If I tell ten people about my strategy and they buy ten fewer Widgets, that's ten fewer Widgets' worth of carbon footprint.
If you factor in material mining, transportation, production, transportation, storage, transportation, and packaging trash, that's a lot of reduction.
Not only that, my life is simpler, I spend more time making meaning rather than consuming, and am overall happier.
Or... I can waste my time trying to affect the political system, which I will never move a nanometer with all my effort, or affecting the corporations, whom I will also not move a nanometer with all my life's effort, etc.
But that’s fucking useless. It is simple math and the math is that you’ve moved the needle on carbon output from one company by 0.0000001%.
An advertising campaign that associates that widget with Devil worshippers probably moves the needle two orders of magnitude more than that.
Solving climate change is a global numbers game. If you’re not changing more than your own behavior, you are effectively complicit and not doing anything to stop it.
> If I tell ten people about my strategy and they buy ten fewer Widgets, that's ten fewer Widgets' worth of carbon footprint.
See, but this is the only bit that has any meaningful effect. This is you being political and affecting change.
You’ll quickly realize that your individual reduction is completely irrelevant in total harm you’ve reduced.
The earth has 200 million square-miles of area, so your portion of the 7.6 billion people equates to 0.0263 square miles. Do your part to keep that virtual area as clean as possible!