On Friday, the globe hit 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees) above pre-industrial levels for the first time in recorded history

  • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The dismaying reality is that it is driven by the wealthy. I got rid of my car, I shop local, and everything in the home is low emissions. No reduction in my personal life can ever offset the way they live.

    • SuddenDownpour@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      The truth of the matter is that it’s impossible to stop climate change in the short and mid term without degrowth in energy consumption. World leaders gathered and celebrated when they agreed to trade responsibilities for CO2 emissions, when a market-oriented world economy was always going to provoke this result unless there were explicit limits to the production of contaminant energy sources.

    • kromem@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Driven by the wealthy and enabled by the stupid.

      If this topic ceased to be a partisan issue, we might actually see real change and limits enforced.

      A world where pollution producers would need to price cleanup and management into their production (which would in turn incentivize cleaner alternatives).

      Where corporations might be held liable for damages from their climate or eco negligence.

      But as long as this remains an issue that the masses are going to be divided over, the world is going to burn as stupid people insist 3rd degree burns on asphalt is just part of the circle of life.

    • sic_1@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      But I drive my car less, that should do it! /s

      This is the reason we’re should focus out efforts to make a ruckus and force decision makers to enforce carbon neutrality BY NEXT YEAR instead of by next century. Of course that won’t happen but that would be the reasonable way.

          • interceder270@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Don’t kill the wealthy. Redistribute their wealth and make them part of the working class.

            It’s a fate worse than death in their eyes.

            • uphillbothways@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              Unfortunately, they’d probably call in the military in the case of a general strike. At least try to assassinate the leadership.
              Guillotines might result in less and more well directed bloodshed. Though, I don’t disagree entirely. That kind of violence, any kind of mass violence, ends up at least somewhat with spillover and misdirection.

              Hard to say.

              • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                We are all tired and angry, and it would seem violence could provide an amount of catharsis and finality. Yet I think the situation is too dynamic to be sure of a positive outcome. Peaceful but firm methods should be tried first, at least.

        • dangblingus@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Will just result in new draconian laws being drafted and enacted. Watch how fast people lose the right to peaceful assembly if it actually affected the ruling class.

          • OurTragicUniverse@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            Don’t blame the symptom for the disease.

            Capitalism didn’t just pop up out of a vacuum to fuck humanity over, we invented it and have continuously supported it to do so.

            • SkySyrup@sh.itjust.works
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              1 year ago

              Yes, we did invent it. However, that was done by a small group of people that have been in power for generations, and kept it difficult to change to a better system.

              What I’m trying to say is that I think most people probably don’t find it very fair that someone like Bezos can just be so ridiculously rich.

              Maybe we can change this.

              • OurTragicUniverse@kbin.social
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                1 year ago

                You really think that’s going to happen? Lmao. Yeah sure, and next we’ll have world peace and end poverty.

                Greedy, easily corruptable and prone to violent authoritarianism- describes like 85% of our species now and throughout recorded history.

                Stop nice-washing humanity and wake the fuck up. You’re not going to end capitalism, too many people benefit from it to let you.

                • SkySyrup@sh.itjust.works
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                  1 year ago

                  If we just give up, then there is a 0% chance. If we try, then the chance of succession isn’t zero. We have to try to be optimistic. Yes, the world is fucked, but hey, giving up is just accepting that and allowing it.

                  • Nudding@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    Good lol, let humanity die, no other animals have extinction events named after them.

          • Nudding@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Maybe when I see the magical communist revolution where humanity doesn’t destroy itself I’ll be a believer, but until then, I think humanity as a whole is a destructive force for bad.

            • SkySyrup@sh.itjust.works
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              1 year ago

              I don’t really think communism in the extreme version is currently a solution, but there is a simpler solution for now for the ultra-rich if you tax them for a large amount of money proportional to the income let’s say 100% after 10 million per year you quickly fix (I guess bandaid-patch) a big problem with capitalism.

        • SCB@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Most species on earth will be dead in any situation that wipes out humanity.

    • SCB@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s not driven by the wealthy, because there are far fewer wealthy people than everyone else.

      Individual shopping habits are a band-aid until we can fully replace how some of those habits work.

      Carbon taxes would be infinitely preferable to voluntary changes, but we can’t pass carbon taxes because people will go absolutely insane if asked to pay the true cost of their goods.

        • SCB@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Worldwide, yes. That generally includes your average Americans, who are in the richest 1% globally.

          The largest climate contributors are the billions of “average” people worldwide though, and it isn’t close.

            • SCB@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              1.1% of the world’s adult population are millionaires. This adds up to about 56 million people

              I had a decimal point wrong on the Top 10% which does indeed make me look silly.

              Regardless, this holds true:

              The largest climate contributors are the billions of “average” people worldwide though, and it isn’t close.

              The idea that owning stock makes you a polluter is beyond stupid, and that entire article you’re initially referencing is dumb as fuck.

              • Funderpants @lemmy.ca
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                1 year ago

                People are arguing with you because they don’t want to take responsibility for themselves or pay the true cost of their consumption. As long as they see someone worse, they don’t have to do anything. The top 1% make 16% of the emissions, sure. But the top 10% are responsible for 52%. That’s 34% belonging to the 1.1-10% . Much of that is due to transportation (in dumb Suv and trucks), inefficient home heating, aviation, and dirty power generation.

                We simply don’t solve this problem by focusing on the top1% alone . Which, like you said, is why carbon taxes should be effective. Especially how Canada did it, with the tax being redistributed to the bottom 90% or so. Unfortunately, bringing in an effective system of carbon taxation just gets you voted out for a science denier.

                I swear, if I was the fossil fuel industry this exact kind of class anxiety is what I would exploit to stop progress. Get people paying attention to Taylor Swifts jet so they’ll refuse the systematic changes needed avoid this actual crisis.

                https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/carbon-emissions-richest-1-percent-more-double-emissions-poorest-half-humanity