• solo@slrpnk.netOP
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    6 days ago

    This pie chart was retrieved from eurostat.

    It looks like it’s the latest one, and that the next one is planned for October 2026 (more here). In this link they clearly state that:

    Several of the EU countries with particularly high levels of waste generated per inhabitant reported very high shares of waste from mining and quarrying, while elsewhere construction and demolition often contributed to the high shares.

    So 100% of the waste regardless of the source, divided by the total number of people = tonnes of waste generated per EU inhabitant. So the blame of polluting the environment is statistically transposed from the relevant industries to all the people.

    • stabby_cicada@slrpnk.net
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      6 days ago

      Yes, and, who’s buying the products of those industries? The construction industry doesn’t build houses and tear them down again for no reason, you know? Consumers bear a share of the responsibility for the environmental impact of production.

      Of course, in exploited colonized nations where products are extracted and shipped overseas and locals are left with nothing, the dynamic is different. But somehow I doubt this is happening in the EU.

      • solo@slrpnk.netOP
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        6 days ago

        It looks like we see this differently. I would share this blame if we shared the profits, not because I’d rather live under a roof. Apart from that, the consumers in this case are often other companies that demolish houses to make malls and other commercial stuff.

        • stabby_cicada@slrpnk.net
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          6 days ago

          And that’s the “no ethical consumption under capitalism” issue. Sure, you need a house to live in, and goods to purchase, and places to buy those goods (ie, malls and other commercial stuff). But how can you absolve yourself from blame for purchasing necessities and not offer that same grace to the companies that produce those necessities for you?

          Pointing fingers and placing blame is a distraction. The right thing to do is for you to reduce your environmental impact where you can, purchase goods from the least bad producers, and encourage others to do the same.