For more than 99 percent of our history as humans, we lived close to nature. We lived in the open. The first house with a roof appeared only 5,000 years ago.
sad. so, why do environmentalists want us all living on top of each other in cities. so many environmentalists are anti-rural living. I lived in a rural area for 23 years until I lost my house. Now, I rarely leave my room or house - i don’t even like the yard much. I miss the woods and feel like a coyote in a cage. Humans lived with roofs over their heads of many thousands of years. You got that wrong. Many wild animals also have dens and/or walls and roofs, holes in the ground to protect them from the elements and predators. They must usually abandon those nests/dens because of parasites or, depending, to be more nomadic to follow the food, whter that be for hunting or grazing/foraging.
My understanding is that if you want to live a “modern” life (e.g. electricity, heating, air conditioning, smartphones, computers, 9-5 job, childcare, etc) then you’ll individually output less carbon to achieve that if you live in a dense city with shared amenities
A train in the city used by 100 people should have a lower carbon footprint than those same 100 people driving their own cars to work
Of course, this “modern” lifestyle is bad for us in a bunch of other ways, and the more radical approach to saving the earth would be to change that lifestyle
I think you are probably correct, but must point out that central heating and air (I didn’t use AC for 23 years, though I had a big unit on the side of my house), kids aren’t necessary. I am fond of electricty and tech gadgets, though, because they make minimalism and living far from ‘society’ much easier and more pleasant. Unlike most consumers, I do not upgrade often and usually buy used PCs now. If we make it more socially acceptable to not have kids or to live in small quarters or to be cheap, then maybe others will fall in line. I get a lot of grief from others, but am stronger, more independent-minded than others. I guess we need more awareness out there to counteract certain opinions. Appealling to their slefish side is usually the way to go. Trying to sell altruism, something that goes against human nature, doesn’t work well. Trains in the city are excellent ideas. Sending them to the suburbs or rural areas are not always good ideas and people in those areas often hate that idea. At the end of the day, we can only control ourselves and if others see that our lives are better, more content, then they are more inclined to learn by the example we set. People often call me a cheapskate until they see that I am usually less stressed than they are because I don’t have to worry about the bills or upkeep they have to worry about - or about what others think. “Saving the earth” might sound to many a bit like you intend to use force.
