• KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    While it’s everyone’s fault, there is very little consumers can do to actually help.

    For example:

    • When every company is using single use plastics for certain products, you don’t have any alternatives.
    • When the local government doesn’t offer the ability to recycle, your options are limited.
    • Or worse, the local government offers recycling services, but the collected items are literally just dumped into the trash.

    So while I again agree everyone is at fault, I’d say the consumer has vastly less overall control than any other entity.

    • rodolfo@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      market won’t regulate itself. that’s established. EDIT: no way to “vote” with my wallet

    • TwoGems@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Or apartments aren’t mandated to have recycling. Or how oil corporations controlled anti-climate change propaganda, as well as Republicans. Or how corporations forced us to use oil to get to our jobs because there really was no public transportation alternative (particularly in America).

      That makes this meme stupid, because consumers didn’t have much control over big money buying everything or basically requiring the use of specific materials.

    • DessertStorms@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      So while I again agree everyone is at fault

      no, only those in power and making profits are to blame, not the people trapped in their wealth extraction system with no choice but to participate or die.

    • whofearsthenight@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I mean, I think it would be cool if I could go into a store and buy a flash drive that wasn’t surrounded by a mountain of plastic and other resources. Or replace that with just about everything else. Although we’re at another wealth inequality problem in general (I can go vegan tomorrow, move to a commune where everything was made of hemp, and it will still probably take 100 of my lifetimes to offset the carbon footprint of Elon or Taylor Swift over the next week, or maybe even just hour) I do often think about the very nature of our system now is that goods sold are often going to come with at a bare minimum equal parts waste to product.

    • Wanderer@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Consumers have the very real ability to vote and protest for changes but the people don’t care and the politicians know it would be unpopular so they wouldn’t do it.

      • KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        Those were examples, but as pointed out they absolutely do have an effect on climate change.

        However, I can provide a couple more direct examples if you like:

        • No public transit available, and neighborhoods built in such a way that the majority of residents need to travel miles to reach their place of business.
        • Products being grown, packaged and sold in completely different countries. Driven by profit, meaning many companies make the same ridiculous decisions. Consumers are often given no alternatives for certain products.
      • DessertStorms@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        responsible and educated representatives.

        when they’re all serving capitalism, that won’t change shit

          • shortgiraffe@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I don’t think the current capitalist class would allow for such a representative, without large changes to their power.

            • positiveWHAT@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              In the US, Bernie was right there. The average voter just don’t want to change their life. The average person is mentally weak and scientifically illiterate.

              • KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                1 year ago

                Bernie was actively pushed against by the DNC in favor of Hillary. This is just another example of politicians fucking us over.

              • SolarMech@slrpnk.net
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                1 year ago

                A little from column A, a little from column B. Looking at the media coverage over Bernie vs the other candidates, he had the deck stacked against him. Which doesn’t mean that someone like him couldn’t eventually win. It takes longer for the message to get through. in this environment.

                I think the more dire the situation gets, the more people will start to get involved themselves, and then they’ll spend more time listening.

  • DreamButt@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Weird how this equates the blame equally across all parties when it’s pretty clear who needs to force who to not pollute

  • electric_nan
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    1 year ago

    Ask yourself “where is the greatest leverage to solve this problem?”. If you think the fastest way to turn the climate ship around is to convince 7ish billion individuals to go vegan, and ride bikes… Good luck!

      • electric_nan
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        1 year ago

        Hmm. I’m not really banking on anything. I’m just surviving. Hoping for the best but expecting something less optimal. I’m not a doomer because believe too much in love. Not that it will save us, but that it’s the only thing that truly makes life worth living. Whatever it is, we’re all in it together.

          • electric_nan
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            1 year ago

            I think if you love yourself and others, then it is obvious what is good and what isn’t.

              • electric_nan
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                1 year ago

                I mean, sure. But you can’t just convince a critical mass of people to understand love. If we’re gonna turn the ship, we’ll need to find something else to leverage. Regulations seem like the most obvious point to me.

      • electric_nan
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        1 year ago

        Huh? You don’t know anything about what I’m doing or not.

        • raginghummus@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          “I’m not really banking on anything. I’m just surviving.” Sorry if I misunderstood but that sounds like you’re not helping?

          • electric_nan
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            1 year ago

            I’m not banking on anything, as in “I don’t have strong faith in any proposed solutions”. I’m just surviving in the sense that, like so many of us, I’m doing my best to maintain my physical and mental health during these difficult times. For me, like so many of us, “doing something” me to maintain my physical and mental health.

            I don’t blame you for misunderstanding me. I can see how my previous comment could have come off that way. I do also want to say though, that “not helping” is okay too. If you don’t have the capacity right now to do anything but exist, I understand. It’s fuckin tough out there for a lot of people.

    • Rediphile@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      We all ought to focus on that whole 7 billion thing…or wait, isn’t it 8 now? Will be 9 soon.

      Infinite population growth in a world of finite resources is not, and never will be, possible. Less people = more resources per person and higher quality of life.

      • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        How? All we do is work just to afford an existence. I’m not jetting around the globe, living in a 20 room mansion, buying every product in existence, etc. All I can afford to do is eat, have a roof and food.

        • Rediphile@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          So you believe that if all 8 billion people lived like you, and there were no rich people, climate change would no longer be an issue?

          What if there were 10 billion. Or 20?

          • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Why are you so insistent on blaming the poor while defending and sucking the dick of billionaires and corporations? Class traitor

  • CryptoRoberto@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    If only we had a society where I could actually buy from companies that were green or vote for politicians that gave a fuck about anything but money. We’re fucked. I’m just glad I’ll be dead before the world melts.

  • Transcriptionist@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Image Transcription:

    Above a set of three images is the title “CLIMATE CHANGE?” A photo of Broderick Stephen “Steve” Harvey Sr. with his hands raised, palms out and text above and below. The text above reads “Consumers:” and the text below reads ‘"Not my fault’". The second photo is a Capuchin monkey with its paws raised as if shrugging, and text above and below. The text above reads “Companies:” and the text below reads ‘“Not my fault”’. The last image is that of an otter half underwater with its fore-paws in the air as if at gunpoint, and text above and below. The text above reads “Politicians:” and the text below reads ‘“Not my fault”’

    [I am a human, if I’ve made a mistake please let me know. Please consider providing alt-text for ease of use. Thank you. 💜]

  • dartos@reddthat.com
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    1 year ago

    It’s more like “it’s my fault, but I don’t really want to deal with that rn”