What Would You Do About Climate Change?

[Sheilbh]

I can't drive and live in a city so rely on public transport. I have cut back on meat a fair amount and always do vegan Lent (Vent) - it does help that the food options on veganism have got a lot better in recent years. I try not to fly as much but I imagine that's my major contribution - but I have definitely looked to stop doing short, short-haul trips in Europe and looking for train options. Luckily I absolutely love a sleeper train so this opens up options (I really hope the sleeper train makes a comeback).

[Josquius]

You know, being concerned about climate change doesn't mean completely throwing away modern civilization right?

Tawk is cheap. Watch what people actually do.

And by making modest changes you can cut your consumption by a huge chunk without going to crazy extremes to try and eliminate it all together.

Lest we forget Joseph Swan worked by candle light to make an electrically lit world.

[Admiral Yi]

And by making modest changes you can cut your consumption by a huge chunk without going to crazy extremes to try and eliminate it all together.

Lest we forget Joseph Swan worked by candle light to make an electrically lit world.

I wouldn't mind cutting my consumption a huge chunk by making modest changes.  Please tell me more.

[mongers]

[The Brain]

What's the definition of waste here?

[Eddie Teach]

Biggest shits?

[Admiral Yi]

1.5 what?  Pretty dumbass graphic.

Wonder what it is that Mongolians are dumping in their landfills.

[mongers]

1.5 what?  Pretty dumbass graphic.

Wonder what it is that Mongolians are dumping in their landfills.

What I've found so far is it's mainly landfill and powerstation waste (similarly disposed of ) Graphic is from the wiki page on over consumption.

I'd guess the higher figures for Germany, Ireland and Mongolia reflects their reliance on low energy density fuels like lignite, peat and cheap coal*/animal dung respectively.  Though those are just my hunches.


*iirc Ulan Bator is a horror story of man-made pollution, sitting in a large basin/valley, weak winter winds, temperature inversions, all whilst the locals burn cheap coal on inefficient stoves, often in poorly ventilated apartments or tradition yurts.

[Valmy]

I would be willing to do basically anything to combat this problem.

[mongers]

I would be willing to do basically anything to combat this problem.

That's very good of you.

I'm in a bit of a similar situation to Mal, I don't think there's a lot more I can do myself, though I was thinking of giving up on red meat/ poultry and pork in the new year, but since I eat about as much meat as an average Indian Hindu, it won't make much difference.

[Valmy]

And your country's entire carbon output is a fart in a hurricane compared to Chinese and Indian coal plants. That's where this fight will be won this century. As to meat your local farmers make a lot more sense than your fairtrade quinoa and soya shipped halfway across the world. Procure your food as much as you can from your local community.

Indeed but the first world countries can take the lead and create affordable solutions we can offer the Indians and Chinese...well China might just find those solutions to they are sinking plenty of money into low emission generation.

My local real enviornmentalist should just join a Benedictine order. At least he'd channel his religious impulse to something more productive.

I completely agree but I find it confusing why you praised him by saying that actions are better than talk. This hairshirt reaction is very Christian and I feel kind of emotionally charmed by it, but as you point out this is not a morality issue as much as it is an engineering and policy one. Having everybody in the world just go out and live in the wilderness and reject modernity just wouldn't work for many reasons. And very few people would actually do it no matter how many moral arguments one makes. You have to make city, and suburban, living sustainable. It is probably better for the world to have all the people living in concentrated places anyway.

[crazy canuck]

Another map anticipating the US purchase of Greenland?

[Razgovory]

We could buy Iceland, and then deport the majority of the populace into the sea.

[Berkut]

There is no solution to this that is of the form "Convince everyone to do X, which will reduce their carbon emissions enough to matter!"

If we decide that doing X is useful, then we need to align incentives appropriately. That can mean regulation, taxation, or technology. But wasting effort and energy trying to convince 7 billion people with differing values and ethics to somehow be better people, whatever that means, has never, ever, ever, ever, ever worked.

[Zoupa]

Yup. To the question what would you do about climate change?, I think the most effective answer is vote for people who actually give a shit.