Why I Don't Care About Your Flight Emissions
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- Опубликовано: 14 май 2024
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In this Our Changing Climate climate change video essay, I look at climate hypocrisy and carbon guilt. Specifically, I dig into why I don't care about your flight emissions, and how our attention to individual carbon footprints and worries about being seen as hypocritical distract from the task of dismantling the fossil fuel industry. Indeed, the fossil fuel industry and pundits allied with oil and gas wield the negativity of hypocrisy to stymie climate movements and fracture power. In short climate hypocrisy and carbon guilt individualizes a crisis that can only be tackled collectively.
I highly recommend checking out this article by writer Mary Annaise Heglar (which definitely influenced this video): www.vox.com/the-highlight/201...
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
2:27 - The Shape of Hypocrisy
5:33 - How the Fossil Fuel Industry Wields Blame
10:58 - The Burden of Shame & Why I Don't Care If You Fly
15:19 - Breaking Away From Hypocrisy
17:24 - Building a Durable Climate Revolution
20:39 - More OCC videos with Nebula/CuriosityStream Bundle
Certain footage and images courtesy of Getty Images
I use Epidemic Sound for some of my music: epidemicsound.com/creator
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Further Reading and Resources:
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#climatechange #carbonfootprint #hypocrisy
▫What emissions or action do you feel guilty about? Do you think it's justified?
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We're in the same battle. The fight of our lives. I cover this topic extensively on my channel.
This video is about one thing. You want desperately to give yourself permission to be a hypocrite. Ignore entirely what the (other you want to blame (big oil, conservatives, whatever) is saying and do what is right. Jetting all over the world is hypocritical if you claim to care about pollution. Stop. The End.
If I have one criticism of this video, I would suggest showing the positives that come along with a carbon free life. For example, showing the psychological effects that come with riding your bike to work. Or the health benefits of buying organic. In the book, “no impact man” he really dives into the upsides of traveling less or stopping single use plastics. He suggested that he gets to spend more time with his family at home instead of in traffic. Or that he would get free coffee by using his mason jar at the coffee shop. I think this video dives into that shameful side of switching your lifestyle, but that it could go more in depth to the positives it will bring.
actually, animal products are 1 cause. and we should change are behavior and big oils to.
if you go vegan you are healthier more just better for the climate and use drastically less resources.
I'm a climate activist, i've had people telling me that until i ride horse drawn carriages and wear hand sewn clothes i cannot speak for climate policies. And yes they were a hundred percent serious
and thats why you arent walking the walk nor talking the talk. you hypocrite.
They are overexaggerating as they do not have arguments.
However, it is true that your consumption behaviors must align with what you're saying. If for example you advocate for a carless society, but yourself own a car, it doesn't make sense. How can someone who doesn't apply his own principles convince people who don't care about the topic to change their own behaviors?
While I care a lot about the environment, I'm not an activist as I think it is ultimately useless. It is much better to use your time and efforts to think about and then develop alternatives that will eventually concretely help society to change its behaviors. You can also help people around you to change their own behaviors. Things won't change magically just because you say so, no matter how loud you say it.
@@PG-3462 your solution is pretty vague and unhelpful. are you sure you're not an activist?
Well if you use fossil fuels your hurting a planet you claim to care about so....yeah you ARE a hypocrite.
@@PG-3462 if this activist for a careless society lives in a society like USA, which is designed for cars, then there is nothing wrong with them driving a car. They will go carless when necessary infrastructure is built for alternative means of transport. It is easy to go car less in places like Europe because of their infrastructure. And this infrastructure is what the activist is fight for.
12:35 Note that Greta says that the responsibility needs to be put back on the corporations and governments to fix this. She said explicitly that what her trip showed was that it's not possible for individuals to solve it by doing what she did.
I often wondered what she was trying to prove by doing that. I thought she was trying to encourage people to take their transatlantic journeys by sailboat when that's clearly not a viable option. I didn't realise that that's exactly what she was trying to say.
Greta talks the talk with her protests and speaking out, but she also walks the walk.
For example, she is vegan, which is the single most effective way to minimize your environmental footprint.
And one thing to point out, she didn't even travel on a private plane, she's on economy just like average people. But regardless, even if she's a hypocrite (which she isn't), it still wouldn't invalidate the fact. "You're a hypocrite, therefore the premise must be wrong" is an annoying and extreme fallacy that prevents any meaningful discussion from taking place.
@@mickeyg7219 ahhhh fallacies are tight! Jk of course, I can't stand fallacies.
How to spin an inconvenient fact.
If corps are people then they should also be shamed. It's fair play.
If corporations are people, then owning one should be illegal
@@macomputersuck Best comment.
@@macomputersuck 🤯🤯
Unfortunately they don’t have the pesky human thing called “feelings.”
So I’d settle for simply taxing them at the same rate that the average citizen’s personal taxes are at.
@@SaveMoneySavethePlanet More tax because they make up to 300x more than the average citizen!
This topic honestly is a difficult one for me.
I'm a packaging designer at a company that now focuses on reducing the ecological impact of packaging.
I took the job, specifically so I could do my part and keep pushing as hard as I can to stop making plastic-based packaging. The types of projects I get are often expensive technical products, for example a recliner chair, an industrial compressor, light fixtures,...
These would often be protected with foam or other plastics, but the only times I use plastic based products are when the customer specifically states the product needs packaging which doesn't shed any dust or fibers, like paper based packaging does, or when the product has a sensitive surface that needs to be protected by a soft film.
For all other projects, my solutions are as close to 100% paper/fiber/wood based, and even then I do what I can to minimize the amount of material being used.
This gives me a lot of power to reduce emissions, as these packagings often get sold by the thousands.
Cool!👍
Would bioplastic make change? Or is it a scam?
That's cool that your working to change a system from the inside. I hate buying a product and it has some assembly required and there are screws that come in these small single use bags. I would much rather have a reusable bag/container that has the screws that could have a second life. I would also love to see more compostable packages that can be composted in the back yard. Somehow when it comes to packages we started with the last R , recycling, when we need to start with reduce, then reuse before we recycle something.
This is an honest question - how does the energy profile compare between plastic-based packaging vs. paper-based? For example the energy required to obtain the raw materials plus the energy required to process them into the final product. Regarding recycling, I would expect paper products to be superior, so I'll give that. But I wonder how the energy profiles compare.
sounds like you're doing good work
"Trying to fix a systemic issue from the demand end is like trying to turn a cruise ship by leaning really hard to one side" - Rollie Williams, AKA Climate Town
But we're not on a cruise ship, my friend, we don't have to obey any captain. Many of us are free enough to choose a life style.
It's more like trying to turn a sailing yacht by leaning really hard to one side
Need to separate this statement out between the fuels industry and all other industries.
The statement loosely applies to all other industries and policy. We can change the systems within the companies we work for to improve ethics and environmentalism. We can be more involved in our politics to counter the corruption and corporate lobby. We can demand more and demand better.
But for the fuels industry (part of the petroleum industry) the only way to make change is to reduce demand for fuels. We cannot expect fuel producers to change. And changing fuels production is a total waste of time, skills, money and materials.
All projects that "clean up" fuels production are all resources that could be used cleaning up any other industry and have way more impact.
- projects like carbon capture and switching to hydrogen production, or fields of solar panels powering refineries for the fuel producers all just make us consume more fuel and do almost nothing to reduce emissions overall. Pure stupidity at best, devious greenwashing to increase revenue and lower taxes without actually solving the problem at worst.
- spend the resources on any other industry and you double the effect, reduce emissions in that industry AND also reduce demand for fuels which also reduces emissions from fuels production.
- the purpose of a fuel producer is to sell as much fuel as possible. The job of their executives is to expand the market for fuels and grow demand for fuels and produce those fuels as low cost as possible to maximize profits. That is their job, that is what they are hired to do, that is how their companies are incorporated, that is what their investors invested in, that is what they are insured to do, that is what they are expected to do. They cannot change and "become better environmentally" because their entire job is to make and sell as much as they can of a product that damages the environment. We cannot expect fuel producers to change, the only way to reduce the problem is to reduce demand for their products.
But we can change other industries and our political system to facilitate the reduction in demand for fuels. And to a lesser effect we can also change our personal demand to products that also reduce demand for fuels, and other highly emitting products.
Doing it yourself personally at home is like a gateway drug for doing it at work. Doing it at work is where the real impact happens unless you are a fuel producer. If you are a fuel producer maybe it is time to start working on that resume CV and consider some education into other industries because demand for your product is going to fall.
@@5353Jumper My point is that phasing out fossil fuels should be done through organised policy, not "consumer choice"
@@m.f.3347 or both.
I'm not entirely sure if this video advocates for this, but I don't think we should necessarily /stop/ taking individual action or encouraging people to do so, as long as we also remember to push for the structural changes we need. One thing I think individual actions do is show that we are ready for the new life and the consequences on the other side of the changes we advocate for-- take plastic grocery bag bans for example. It was legislative action that turned even the most apathetic shopper into someone who carries reusable bags, but it was lots of motivated people spreading the idea that everyone could and should do it that created the momentum and the cultural space that made that legislation possible. Something similar is true of transportation: the current culture is so married to cars, that if we want to create a mass movement in support of trains, we need to take seriously the alternatives we currently have to show legislators that we're serious, that if they commit the money, ridership will be there, and to show people around us that there /are/ viable alternatives to cars. There's also a word for lots of individuals agreeing to make the same choice to avoid something: a boycott. Boycotts are hard, but why on earth would we not use them? If we care about our ideas, we will be willing to do hard things.
I also agree that just creating a culture of less isn't going to attract a lot of people, and that we need to put alternatives in place wherever possible, but right now there isn't one for long distance plane travel, as much as I'm looking forward to advances in batteries, hydrogen, and reclaimed carbon, so the ban on fossil fuels this video advocates for /does/ stop that person from traveling to see their family right now. To connect back to what I said above, I've already decided I'm probably not going to see friends who live on other continents unless they end up near me, for this very reason. I'm showing to others and to myself that I'm ready to do without some of the luxuries that require fossil fuels.
Thoughtful feedback is welcome, I'm open to having my mind changed.
if you know what it's like to wait for a bus, you care a lot more about improving bus service. politicians don't ride the bus so they don't know how to solve it, they think "you need electric buses" NO, WE NEVER ASKED FOR THAT.
This whole video souns like the guy is upset he took a flight to see his parents and now is telling us "Well there's just no way to stop it"
@@alexisjsosa not sure what video you watched, I didn't hear him say any of that
@@Lildizzle420 Yeah I do know what that's like, what I wouldn't give for improved bus service in most of the places I have lived. I as a rider still care about improving emissions though, so I do want money devoted to that as well. I think overhead wires a better electrification system than batteries though.
@@chrishealy1679 the part where he provided entirely fruitless solutions to an abysmal world crisis that, by his literal own words, was fueled by his own flight. the same exact video you watched. wowzer
It’s a this AND that situation. Reduce personal use AND advocate for corporate change.
Yes absolutely, but also be aware of your limits and don’t get burned out worrying about personal use before thinking about how to influence the bigger picture. Also, be prepared with strong rebukes for those who use these blame arguments to discredit and distract.
Couldn't agree more, but this channel is absolutely not about nuance, as you might have noticed. Us poor saps are just blameless victims of someone forcing us to consume.
@@aaron6806 Exactly Aaron, The liberals don't want to take responsibility for anything. People go without all over the world, but someone is FORCING them to buy highly packaged goods and visit family?? nonsense.
Exactly...its lazy to just blame corporations when we keep supporting these industries for Insta travel or a cow burger on our plates 😩😩😩
But I think the ISSUE is when people are advocating for other people to change personally. Shaming them even though it doesn’t make any real difference. That’s how we’re being manipulated
I like to frame my lowered consumption and eco friendly decisions around preparing for the future. Finding local, renewable options makes me more resilient in the face of climate chaos and swings in various fossil fuel markets.
I still think we should make the changes that we can. I've seen many people use these kinds of arguments to do nothing at all. Obviously there is a limit to what changes we can individually make, and I'm not expecting people to stop flying when it's the only way to see their family etc, but there's nothing to lose by cutting back
actually, animal products are 1 cause. and we should change are behavior and big oils to.
We absolutely should! But while doing so we need to keep in mind that not everyone (ourselves included) can do everything all at once, and that's fine. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Making people (again, ourselves included) feel shame and guilt for not doing enough and not being perfect in this regard is anything but helpful to the cause. Also, it matters where we put our energy. Trying to lower our personal carbon footprint follows the law of diminishing returns. You can easily identify some aspects of your life in which you can improve without much hassle. Maybe you take public transport to get around instead of using your car, maybe you fly less, etc. Each step after that first one gets increasingly difficult, and getting to 0 emissions is extremely difficult to achieve (or rather impossible, if you factor in emissions created in your name by the government). So rather than spending a whole lot of energy into something that ultimately makes very little to no difference in the grand scheme of things, is way less useful than spending some energy on making the easy changes in your life, and spending the rest on activism.
Exactly this!!! I’m worried people will see this video and think “oh individual actions, don’t matter. Therefore I’ll do nothing to help the environment instead.” And it’s so challenging to get these kinds of people motivated to vote and speak up to actually make positive changes.
Ultimately I think the point is rather than feeling guilty over what you aren't doing you should focus on what you are doing. Make practical changes that make sense for your situation and lifestyle.
Instead of taking a separate vacation perhaps wait and plan it as part of your family visit, maybe you all do the same and go somewhere together.
Instead of shopping at a department store for brand new clothes go thrifting, places like Goodwill get more than they know what to do with as it is.
While you're obviously not saving the world small victories are still victories. If all you care about is the end goal you've already lost, its as true here as it is weight loss or anything else.
👏👏👏👏
I definitely have come to realize this. Growing up, I always focused on reducing my own carbon footprint: eating less meat, buying second hand, reusing paper in a binder instead of buying a new notebook. I think these things are good, and they have the benefit of usually saving me money, which incentivizes me to keep doing them, but I realized recently that even if we were all "perfect consumers," the government would probably just bail out the struggling industries. It is not a truly free market. We cannot consume our way out of climate change. But it get it. It's an overwhelming existential threat and it often feels like there's nothing you can do but focus on reducing your own carbon footprint. It's the only thing you really have control of. So that's why I think it's good to do what you can, especially if it saves you money, but to also advocate for change. Show up at rallies, write to your representatives, and please vote, especially in the local elections which usually happen in odd-numbered years (in the US). Voting (in the US) is not something you do once every 4 years for the president - there are elections every single year, usually more than one per year. It's really important to have leaders in our communities who will actually care about these issues, so please make sure to vote for them.
Yes but remember that they won't subsidise anything if there's no demand. For example if people stop eating meat the industry simply stops existing. That's why it's necessary to vote with your wallet.
no
I'm a trucker, I'm not happy with how much emissions my work is putting out, but I really didn't have any other choice because it was this or stay in poverty and risk homelessness the rest of my life.
it's tough, I wish I was able to not emit so much, but I don't have an alternative, and a lot of other truckers give a bad rep to us too.
Your work is extremely vital and necessary to the entire country (assuming you’re from the US). Thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made to do what you do and I’m sorry that you guys are so under-appreciated, taken for granted, and misunderstood.
@@EyeonthePrize247 my guy trucking is one of the worst aspects of the failed transit infrastructure in this country. im glad hes not homeless while still being climate conscious, but i dont really get why youd call the job "vital" when there's a much better option. its one thing to say that about pilots, but trucking?
@@hata6290
You don’t think trucking is vital? Look over these statistics and tell me that again, lol.
(Figures for the US)
Trucks transported 12.5 billion tons of freight valued at more than $13.1 trillion, about 65% and 73% of total freight weight and value, respectively.
Trucking’s freight volume was about 8.5 times higher than that of railed freight volume, the third-ranked freight mode.
Trucks carry the largest shares by value, tons, and ton-miles of all goods shipped in the United States.
Trucking was the leading transport mode for all distances in 2020 by value, even for distances greater than 2,000 miles
In terms of tons, trucking was the preferred mode to destinations from below 100 miles and up to 749 miles.
Gravel, cereal grains, and non-metallic mineral products, the second-, third-, and fourth-ranked commodities by weight, are largely moved by truck.
Trucks carry $7.7 billion of freight, or 71% of the total top 10 freight value of about $10.8 billion.
www.truckinginfo.com/10190389/trucking-dominates-freight-market
I love the mosquito and elephant metaphor. The analysis on producer-shaped consumer choices is on point, and rarely comes up in discussions.
I struggle with the logic: According to you, we should "agitate for fossil fuel abolition". But why should a fuel company feel a force to push alternatives when demand for it remains high? Saying "stop selling fuel!" while taking a flight will not convince them, only lower demand will. Like your apple/plastic bag example; there'll only be a change when most buyers stop buying it in bags and instead buy bag-free - corporations act on economical gradients.
convincing is already the wrong framework. They shouldn't be convinced, they should be forced to change production, which can be done way more efficiently by increasing the political and material costs of keeping the status quo by direct action, strike, blockade, demonstrations, coordinated (!) and strategic (!) boycotts, building solidarity-based alternatives and counter-power and even voting and state action. Transformation on the scale and in the timeframe necessary has historically been achieved through such means, not through voting with your dollar. It's not just about agitation, it's about organizing and building collective power.
This is such an important and well-made point! Blaming individuals preserves the status quo, but the status quo is what got us here in the first place. It's a non-starter. Instead of working collaboratively to enforce real change, we feel the stress and anxiety of a global catastrophe bearing down on our shoulders, and the corporations get to retain their profits.
They were not criticizing Gore for flying commercial, or for using power to run his modest home. He was flying in private jets and using 20x the power to heat a mansion and a pool. I am one of these people who complain about Gore, I have never been critical about people using energy, only the people who expect me to use less, then use more then me.
Here's a message in a bottle: you all who read this be inspired by this channel and try to set up some kind of alternative in some town nearby with your friends and family. Some alternative "bussiness" to this bussiness model that charges money for every service. It will be a challenge but if 500 alternatives pop up and help each other out, we will be weaving an alternative _C U L T U R E_ , buds of a solarpunk society
Omg... I've been struggling with this shame & guilt BIG TIME lately! I'm trying to save up & build towards a carbon negative future... But currently? I'm stuck in a lifestyle that forces me to have a carbon footprint. A small one to be sure! But still not 0.... THANK YOU for stating these very hard things!
You are minimizing what you can, that is the most you can really do. If everyone tried a little, like you do..... the problem might not be solved, but we would be in a better place.
Lol goodluck being carbon free in the world that forces you to use carbon creating products
If you sabotage fossil infrastructure, you can even have a negative footprint! :)
You don't need to be individually carbon neutral. Carbon neutrality must be attained globally, not locally. There will always be carbon emissions because production will always be needed, although, the goal is to lower these as much as possible : this means lowering production a lot in every sectors necessary for us to live and removing production in the few ones that are judged, hopefully democratically, useless.
The remaining emissions must then be compensated. Yes, compensation is necessary, but only after the previous steps are completed, not to justify the rise of the production, as we see today.
Nonetheless, being self-sufficient is a great thing to do if you want AND can do it. Just know that joining the fight against capitalism and productivism is still necessary.
To me it's more important that I can live a normal life instead of thinking about my carbon footprint. However if I can choose something better for about the same price, or it's worth saving up for, will I always choose that option.
I have mixed feelings about this. I feel like it's not a question of shaming people for hypocrisy, but there's a lot of discourse along these lines in climate movements that I feel isn't thought out enough. People say, we need to stop focusing on individual action, and prioritize policy change. Yes, I agree. But what do people think that policy change is going to lead to? For example, if we create laws that severely limit fuel companies actions, there will be less fuel available to use. We can push governements to subsidize people keeping warm in winter. But then will there be enough fuel left after that for planes? Plane ticket prices may go up, certainly there will be less of them. So now only rich people can travel again? 60 years ago that was how things worked, and middle class people might take the plane 2 or 3 times in their lifetime. So it's not so much a question of, you taking the plane it causing the planet to burn. It's a question of, if we put into place the measures that would save the planet, you wouldn't be able to take the plane nearly as much as you do now. Might as well get used to it. It's almost hopeful, in a way, to live as though we had put those measures into place already, no?
Individuals are not responsible for climate change. But the planet also can't sustain the luxuries that about a quarter of people on earth take for granted. We push for reduced animal ag - will we be willing to eat less animal products when that happens? And yes, I realise that people who push these things also want other changes, changes that will give us the means to live better with less (say, shorter work weeks that lead to more free time that can be spent cooking meals from scratch or mending clothes, or, a less alienating lifestyle where we can find joy in something other than our purchases, so we don't feel the need to consume as much). But still, it seems short sighted to say "it's not the individual's responsibility" but not talk about how if we do enact systemic change, that change WILL impact our individual ways of life. And how will we cope with it then? If we start now, we can start problem solving early. We're going to have to do it sooner or later. And if we do it sooner, well maybe that can save us from a tiny bit of the damage in the meantime.
(ie, say energy is rationed - we know very well it isn't unlimited. If factories can't produce the massive amounts of goods we are used to, we might have to go back to a circular, sharing economy for our things - lets figure out tool libraries and buy nothing groups and thrifting and upcycling *now*. If we are limited in our energy consuptions at home, lets figure how to, idk, do our laudry when energy is the most abundant (midday if we're on solar etc) or how to live without dryers or how to have better insulated homes and better temperature management methods.)
Yeah, the video offers a solution to exactly one thing (unnecessary plastic packaging) and then pretends every other problem can be solved the same way.
I think OCC doesn't understand that the thing about unnecessary plastic packaging that makes it so easy (in principle) to solve is the "unnecessary" part.
In my opinion, it all comes down to green technology and the green premium. Right now there is a way to do most things in a zero emission way but it is very difficult or expensive. The goal should be to research/develop the alternative technology, and then move the legal privileges and subsidies for the process away from the polluting technology and towards the zero-emission technology. Until the alternative is available and viable, shaming people is a waste of time.
@@gernottiefenbrunner172 I don't believe that offering a solution to unnecessary packaging was the point of the apples example. The point was to show how our individual actions as a consumer (choosing not to buy apples sold in plastic bags) usually don't have the desired effect of showing the seller/producer what we want and don't want to see on shelves or "voting with our money" (the apples in plastic bags still get sold).
Exactly. It is very convenient to push the responsibility to big corporations, it legitimates to just carry on life as usual, when clearly future generations will not have any understanding for our lifestyle.
@@lightningninja8585 "It is very convenient to push the responsibility to big corporations," That makes no sense at all and it isn't "convenient" it's literally a fact 5 companies account for over 70% of all carbon emissions if 5 companies where a country they would be the worlds greatest polluter but it sure is convenient to blame individuals because you're lazy huh
I think sometimes people don't 'listen' to or point out if someone is hypocritical, not only to distract from the content of the message, but also/or because when people hear a message/info , you don't automatically know what to do, and that leaves you hanging with no solution, which makes you susceptible to just quickly going back to old habits. Some info is stated in such a way that it doesn't imply any action pattern at all.
While if a person is also 'doing the walk' , you also see on a practical level , what one can do. Something you can observe and copy. The message is more easily understood then , because it immediately connects to some referent , instead of just sounding abstract and non-actionable.
Absolutely agree! If it makes our advocacy more effective, and I think it does, we should absolutely do it.
When The "Taylor Swift spent X Hours flying" outrage happened,I was one of those guys who shamed them in my socials. But after sometime I began to realise what is the real thing that makes the rich people to fly this much and unlearned things that was propagated to me in name of "Individual Action"... Thanks to you and Second Thought for teaching me and 100s of others about how this whole system really works
she still doesnt need a private jet
@@seandepagnier yes and no... As a US celebrity You can't survive without Air travel and private jets because the interstate public Sucks in US no other means are available to "Luxury Travel"... And Yes Luxury Travel should be non existent
A high demand of flying justifies corporations to just continue their business model. If people were to reduce it, there would be a force to push alternatives (including) and promoting a more sufficient lifestyle
@@lightningninja8585 blaming and expecting Individuals and the Whole population to reduce Consumption is never gonna work if they don't have any other alternatives...
Lets say ab individual says no to flying,then where's the alternative for that? Electric cars are expensive, conventional cars are out of question,Interstate and even regular public transport sucks big time in US...
The problem here is that asking people reduce their travel rather than demanding Governments to build public transport infrastructure not gonna be effective.. I have seen people prefer to use Public Transport like busses and Trains in India for 90% for their travel if it reaches the Destination they desire in a heartbeat...
@@saipremkumar4787 that's why there's no way to deal with climate exchange. Demanding something else? Instead of reducing whole consuming energy..
I've noticed that the lifestyle shame has impacted even places where you should be getting advice/help, it's become significantly harder to "rescue" food, or shop smarter, because it's consumerist and any consumerism = bad. But you could be asking your crowd for advice on how to spot clothing that is durable, materials that are known to hold out longer or brands that actually never trade quality for quantity, but the shame silence that type of conversation.
This plus the nebula companion video is possibly my favorite work you've done. I think it must have been hard to arrive at this point in your philosophy and it's hard for me to embrace it as well. Thank you for making it. I think it's really valuable and important
THIS! As a climate scientist, I thank you deeply. It's hard to convey this message nowadays.
Such a great video! Over the past couple of months I had noticed that I had growing feelings of resentment against a certain type of influencers. It's those people who go out of their way in order to be as sustainable as possible. For the longest time I couldn't wrap my head around why their content annoyed me more and more. They are doing something good, after all, raising awareness and doing the right things, I thought. Until I finally realized what my problem was, thanks to a video similar to this one: Those influencers were focusing exclusively on individual action, and they and/or their communities would repeatedly shame people for their individual (in)actions. In this bubble, if you're not vegan for example, no matter your reasons, you're a bad person and you're not part of the cool kids club. At the same time, the audience would put everything those influencers did under a microscope, calling hypocrisy the second they found out they did something unsustainable and demanding perfection. When focusing on individual action, all we do is point fingers at each other, calling out each other's flaws, and making everyone feel terrible in the process. Awesome. What exactly is this supposed to be solving? Of course it is great if we can implement more sustainability in our lives. I for example don't own a car for this reason (and others). But we should not waste our energy on shaming people into doing the same, for reasons mentioned in this video: 1) You're most likely only going to push people away by guilt-tripping and shaming them, and 2) it is far more important that we focus on the big players in this game. Unfortunately, I hear very few people talking about the importance of changing our ways of production when it comes to sustainability and climate change. I wish those sustainability influencers focused more on informing people about how we need to target big corporations and policy makers, rather than simply promoting taking individual action that ultimately changes little to nothing (like in the apple example in the video). One of the many reasons I am really grateful this channel exists! Keep the great content coming please. We need it.
This is such an important point! It is somewhat common knowledge that the fossil industry "gave" us the carbon footprint calculator, but that the whole "Well, it's your fault we need all those fossil fuels in the first place, evil consumer." is just a crazy good and incredible effective marketing strategy is so crazy...
This video is very important. I hope a lot of people sees it and we all start reflecting on the trap that is individual action. Thank you for the clarity of your ideas, OCC.
You spoke to my heart. Frustration has been building up deep inside me. The amount of plastic I see every time I go the supermarkets is insane. Like wrapping every bloody cucumber in plastic... for what? I want to do something about it.
But in western countries we put them in landfill.
It's the third world that puts them in the rivers
Plastic is one of the greatest human discoveries.
@@Robert-cu9bm plastic that goes to landfill can release harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater, anyway. Not all landfills are equal... And there is still a big CO2 & methane emmision associated to landfills...
I also wonder why underdeveloped countries are not able to have good landfill or recycling infrastructure... 🤔 *Western countries perpetuating the underdeveloped countries poorness*
When you don't have your basic needs met nor proper education, who cares about the environment as much? You brain is on survival mode.
Plus, those are not the contries with the highest plastic consumption or production. Again, western or developed countries are. Let's not blame them when "developed" countries are also contributing to the exploitation and pollution of underdeveloped countries.
@@RD-fs4vn
No they can't... Learn about landfills.
They're all lined to prevent any contamination.
Methane is often collected.
And now once they're full we turn them into parks for the public.
Just recycle
@@mahmoodalmahmood7014 most plastics aren't even recyclable
I agree that taking action is much more effective than shaming others or feeling guilty. However it's not as easy as saying that as a consumer you have no influence. Any dollar you don't give to the airline industry, you can spend on something better for the environment like trains. For some activities shaming others is a very valid way to achieve something because peer pressure works.
Almost noone dumbs their waste in the woods anymore because as a society we have understood that this behaviour should not be rewarded with admiration. If people can't brag about their vacation anymore because their friends don't support them flying around the world, most people will rather not take the plane for a vacation simply because they couldn't tell anyone.
It also works the other way around. Studies show that people are much more likely to get solar panels on their house themselves if their neighbors already have them. I got them last year and now even friends that are not at all environmentally conscious ask me about them and plan to get them too because they see and hear that someone they know benefits from them.
A Perspective very well told! Tons of Gratitude for researches and filming this
Besides your content, which is impressively on point, I am regularly amazed by the footage and design of your videos. High quality in every aspect! Glad to be a subscriber here and on nebula
Really good video, I think about this often. I emigrated a few years ago and so all my family live in my home nation. I travel by plane to see them several times a year and I should not feel guilty about seeing the people I love. I do get angry though, because there should be alternatives and this is beyond my control. My flight home to see family takes less than 2hrs, but by train that journey is around 27hrs (not on sleeper trains either, this is constantly changing trains and waiting at stations) so I consider this simply not a realistic option - but high speed rail has existed for a very long time now! I live in Europe, and it would be completely feasible to upgrade rail networks to high speed 500kph+ trains over a given number of years. A network like this would offer a massively better and sustainable option for travel across the entire continent. But alas, no one talks about it and no one is planning it... I carry on flying because what other choice is there? Individual choice can only take place when realistic options are available - for example, I no longer own a car. I don't own a car because I live in a town with excellent public transport and a safe cycling network so I choose to take advantage of these things. Back in my home town the public transport is terrible and cycling is very dangerous, I drove a car everyday there because there wasn't a safe or realistic alternative.
Oof of you look at the building of railways around the world most of them are loaded with controversy, budget increases, bureaucracy, evictions, etc etc. That's why you probably haven't heard of any ideas for a new one. It doesn't always happen. But it's very common.
Thanks man, I needed to hear this. As someone married to an immigrant, travel overseas to visit family often results in carbon guilt.
You're immigrant spouse should have stayed overseas where their family is.
Thank you for making this video!! Came across it on Nebula, and just had to hop over to RUclips to comment and like.
This has been a huge issue for me. It's so demoralizing. Even when I make good choices, the next thing that always comes to mind being that I'm not doing enough. Can feel like I'm drowning.
When you reached the 'How the Fossil Fuel Industry Wields Blame" segment, it immediately reminded me of the BP Texas City Isom Unit explosion, which was the result of so many things going wrong (CSB dot gov posted their investigation and made an excellent video about it).On that tragic day, there were both equipment failures and human failures, but BP tried to put the focus on the failures of individuals, which is what they typically did after every safety incident, rather than acknowledging their overall lack of safety culture and the underfunding of maintenance which contributed to those equipment failures (and not wanting to invest in a major safety retrofit until after this happened).
It is important that we each do what we can and have some feeling of agency and hope that we can make the world a better place, but it's also really critical that we don't let cynical a-holes use individual responsibility as a way to do nothing about the problem or to sabotage the whole effort. We all have a responsibility, both individually and corporately/communally, to make the world a better place however we can, and failing that, to at least maintain it as a habitable place for future generations.
I remember when Europe band single use plastic bags in stores. 😳 it was so expensive 🤦♀️ and I forgot my bag again… for a year I felt this was worse, because I was buying a much bigger bags, that had used much more plastic.
But now i always have my bag I’ve learned. We all have.
Well, if one can cut excesses, why not? I believe that is the main objective amidst all subjectivity.
Also, be a voice for change against destructive methods
I have one final airplane flight planned for my life. To go back to the island I grew up on to retire. I looked at taking a cruise and jumping ship when the cruise stops at my home harbor. I looked at possibly traveling on a cargo ship. I even looked into buying a small sailboat and sailing back there at the same time as the Transpac race/regatta. All of these other choices were less "green" than just flying. So I'll fly.
Peter Joseph would be proud of the work you do. I remember being introduced to ideas like this for the first time through the Zeitgeist series, and more recently, exploring them in his 2017 book The New Human Rights Movement. Great work again, man.
Weeeelllll, some people who take repeated weekend vacation flights from Ohio to Cancun perhaps should be a little flight shamed
would you consider making your apple analogy a YT short? I love the clear message but I’m not sure I could get many people to watch a video this long (even though I love your videos).
i don't feel shame when i buy something i enjoy, only to find it is wrapped in 3 layers of unnecessary plastic. i feel anger.
Got an e-scooter (with dual suspension), after 800-miles of PRACTICE, I am really happy with the purchase. And it costs $0.03 per mile to charge!
An Inconvenient Truth was my first introduction to climate action as a child. I am glad Al Gore made it at a time when it wasn’t popular to care about such.
Thank you for informing us about this. This is how we turn climate anxiety into climate anger. If we direct our frustration towards fossil fuel giants instead of at ourselves, we could truely change the world for the better
Needed to hear this ❤ Fantastic perspective!
I just had a corporate meeting about how to reduce pollution in the work place. In many instances it either adds on work or is a drop in the bucket.
The hyperfocusing on personal choice is annoying
The difference between guilt and shame is what it motivates us to do. Guilt motivates us to change our actions. Shame motivates us to stop trying because it'll never be enough.
That is an interesting distinction... feel free to leave a comment at one of my climate shows...
This really resonates with Michael Mann's book: The New Climate War. I highly recommend it.
Interesting, a perspective I've been talking about for a long time. Using shame as a motivational force is also counter productive. It's well known that the more we feel shame in the aftermath of a particular action, we are often more likely to repeat that action.
If you ask, the supermarket will try to adjust! I take my own steel containers to the supermarket and they use them to put meat and fish in them.
But I feel bummed that I can only buy tofu in plastic containers. How to influence them…
Very good points, I just want to correct the part about Greta Thunber. She said that she only did it to prevent people calling her (also) a hypocrite and not taking her seriously as a result, because "omg she FLEW to America to talk about the climate crisis"
- The plane would fly without you anyway
- All is distraction
- No one powerful wants change
In Sweden there is a hefty tax on plastic bags. As a result grocery stores offer paperbags instead for use when picking a few individual vegatables and fruit. A few years ago, ecological bananas where always sold prebagged, in plastic bags. Today they are not.
Sweden's carbon tax has been revolutionary in reducing carbon emissions. I hoped this video would have talked about it some more.
Interesting video! I struggle with these questions myself.
What a legend. Felt guilty about taking a few flights during the summer, decided to console himself and in the same time undermine the corporate giants' false ecological image. Way to go king 👌👍
Made it most of the way through and sheesh this video essay is a hipsters way to shedding guilt of being a phony and hypocrite. The part where he said the coal workers should demand justice 😆
This really made me think. I still want to change behaviour and make greener choices but it is certainly true we don't have enough input into the choices that are put before us. On the other hand, I do strongly believe in the power of consumer advocacy. It may be less convenient to take a train or bus for certain destinations, but if we don't move toward other alternatives to create more demand, those alternatives won't be improved/developed.
something similar happening to me when i ride my bike for commute and leisure.. i use tire, brakes, lubes just to keep it running... not including when something break or wear down.. but thanks to the new perspectives, at least i have a path where to go
Thank you for this. I’m moving abroad for graduate school (for a lot of reasons) and have been struggling with the idea of flying so far to see family. Frankly there are very few places I could happily and healthily live without needing to travel far distances to see my family so its been hard to do what’s best for me while trying to do what’s best for everyone.
I think a good related topic you could explore with this (or maybe Second Thought) would be how to work with imperfect allies. I think us leftists too often push people out of our movements over some disagreements. Am I going to be completely happy about marching down the street with an anti-choice Catholic to protest against some new pipeline or something? No, but I'll welcome their support on this one issue we agree on.
^^this! Alienating people who would happily work with you to achieve change because you don't see eye to eye on a different issue is a very "twitter" problem.
People don't actually perfectly fit into political parties or stereotypes. The climate crisis is too important to not find common ground and compromise absolutely everywhere we can!
Yeah, you will not see anti-choice Catholic fundamentalist protest a new pipeline. He would rather call you communist who wants to make US Venezuela or some shit
I will never cooperate with right-wing nutjobs, doesn't matter if there is some issue where on paper we agree on. Economic policy, social policy and environmental policy all matter and they all are important. I will not cooperate with someone who pretends to care about environment and on the other side he wants to, idk exterminate LGBT people, execute mothers for having abortions, ban interracial marriage or give free reign to corporations to keep exploiting workers (and destroy the planet in the process) etc
To me that is unacceptable.
Thank you for trying to ease my frustration, for I am a flight attendant.😅
I'm doing my best to change careers but it will take a bit more doing.
I still believe in personal responsibility but I would extend it to being politically active too.
I feel that it's important to live and consume reasonably but we also have to create a culture in which it becomes people's second nature to hold their elected representatives accountable.
In the meantime, to deal with my climate anxiety, I started a RUclips channel where I upload video essays on climate-related topics.
So I guess this is kind of like the new neighbor saying hi. 👋😁
Like he says, working in a polluting industry is not necessarily bad, and you do wield a bit more power over aviation because of your job!
Trains don't have to be slower than planes, on trips that are 3 hours or less hsr is faster if you count in security, getting to the airport early and travelling to and from the airport. Also night trains can allow you to travel greater distances. While it does take a lot of time, as you're sleeping does it really count?
You don’t have travel to and from the train station ? Do you live at the train station ?
The fact that Shell created the carbon footprint shows how we can’t stop at individual actual as it could be used as a distraction from the ones with power to change global dynamics
I can't even afford to fly 🕊️
What? The presenter contradicts himself. He wants to eliminate fossil fuels but is okay for people to flying? It will be decades before they have non-fossil fueled, high capacity airplanes. He says he doesn't want people to have to have less but then says he wants people who work for fossil fuel companies to create unions that push for the elimination of the very industries that employ them? He says we need to do land returns from productive farmers to people who probably have no idea how to grow anything. He says that one person not flying doesn't make a difference and uses an example of a mosquito and an elephant. Sure, one mosquito doesn't change anything but 700 million mosquitos would turn the elephant to dust. Without de-growth we will never get to net zero emissions. You can't have pre-industrial emission without a pre-industrial lifestyle. Families that live thousands of miles apart will just have to learn to live without seeing each other. And yes, this will create larger class divides as only those people with lots of money will be able to live the lifestyle we all live today but we have all lived the drunken party of consumerism for a long time, the hangover is going to hurt, a lot, get used to it.
Individual action is the ultimate illusion. I never feel guilty as I have to myself that "One cannot do everything the world needs, but the world needs everything one can do" and do my part.
However, people don't really understand the big picture and this stresses me out. It doesn't matter if your whole city, or state, or country stops eating meet or buying less plastic, and so on. It would be as simple as turning your business to other countries that don't or can't do that yet.
Even if we considered the influential-potential of individual actions becoming trends, it would take a long time for this to reach global relevance "organically". Considering the time frame we have, I believe only a revolution can get us anywhere less catastrophic.
Whats the name if the song that is playing at minute 20
You should feel ashamed! I ride my bicycle all day every day, I don't own a car! Flying when you absolutely have to is acceptable. But private jets and wasting 20x more power than average american which already uses unnecessary high amount of power and gas.
Hey what fonts do you use? ok thaaaaanks
There seems to be some issues with the audio between 9:32 and 9:38 and a rough cut around 10:58.
Content wise, great video, as always :)
Thank you Alex
u should go vegan for non human animals ,if u live in a 1st world country ,u have an advanced industries of food industry and huge choice of and availability of a vast range of vegan food.
u can stop killing animals directly unlike pollution, by ur choice of buying plant based food
that does not mean u should not blame and hold accountable oil corp. ,u should do that too,one doesn't negate the other .
Agreed
I do care and I dont understand why its so cheap. Flyers who fly a lot should pay more.
government subsidies
Awesome video. This information needs to get a big audience
I'm gonna tell you why I never cared about flight emissions: I live on a 20x40 km island. When you're forced to take a plane to have the same freedom of movement than any other common person, guilt tripping doesn't work that well.
This video is so extremely important and I hope many many people watch it.
It's simple. Do what you reasonably can to reduce your own footprint, and fight as hard as you can to change the system so that you never have to think about your footprint again.
This is a fantastic video on the topic! Thank you!
one of the best video's so far. very comprehensive. will post this for our members in the carbon almanac network
We need structural change, which can be achieved, if individuals work together. When I make choices to reduce my carbon foorprint, I do them to make myself feel better. I don't make those choices, because I think that they'd have much effect in stopping climate change. For that reason I don't critisize other people for their lifestyle choices.
It's a "don't hate the player, hate the game" type of situation, isn't it?
My feeling is that if you can afford to make a change or know enough to choose a more sustainable option, then do it. Not everyone can. The thing everyone can do is to pressure lawmakers and corporations to make the big changes we really need. What kind of grocery bags I use won't save the planet, but if me and my neighbors advocate for a cleaner power grid in our community, we may actually make a pretty big impact.
Agree! Corporations are way more responsible than individuals. Although something may have to be said about Individuals like Bezos, MBS, Russian Oligarchs etc. whose Climate Impact probably rivals those of some cities or even small countries! But here’s a hard fact. People who can’t be bothered to do simple things like remember to bring their reusable bags to grocery store, get out of the car instead of idling for 15 mins at a drive-through, buy a Gas Guzzler when an EV may be available at similar price or walk / bike instead of driving, all for the sake of convenience, probably aren’t going to be people who would elect government or makeup corporations that fight Climate Change. We all have to care, both as Individuals as well as collectively. There are 8 billion of us now. Imagine if all of us used 10 plastic bags a week, used 5 plastic straws a week, all drove gas guzzlers for 50 kms a day!
I really liked how sensible and balanced it is to think about structural change first.
It's to a large degree personal guilt that is leading increasing numbers of consumers onto a plant-rich / animal product-free diet. Dietary consumption habits are starting to change in many developed countries, as are the types of food being produced. And new we now have plant-based burgers, diary-free milk and it was just yesterday when the FDA approved that lab-grown meat being safe to eat.
The radical and important change we are witnessing, and all of the accompanying news articles on the topic, couldn't have happened without the 'leading edge' of consumers showing that alternatives are viable.
Although individually it has a huge impact on your carbon footprint if you go plant based. You may take a flight once a year or so but eating is something we do every single day, multiple times a day in fact.
I've read that one long distance flight produces the same amount of carbon as eating a beef burger every day for a year. So if you're a vegan but you fly internationally twice a year, you could have a much bigger impact by not flying instead.
Lets be honest we are not gonna get out the climate crisis until we move past capitalism.
No, we will once we get kids back into hard sciences and engineering to work on more efficient production of electricity from existing energy (fossil and nuclear) and inventing new materials and processes to make Fusion power possible. Capitalism will drive that innovation and competition… nobody is going to do this for free, better yet get investment capital to attempt it. Communism only truly works within a world with unlimited resources (as nobody can possible have more than another).
tell me your better alternative system
Please layout the alternative system and a peaceful way to transition and the pros and cons of said system.
@@HR15DE capitalism ain't it
It’s not so much capitalism, as it is the rampant consumption that it has led to because of corporate greed. There’s nothing wrong with making some money from selling a high quality product that will last for a very long time and is easy to fix and recycle, but there’s something very wrong with creating ‘needs’ simply to enrich yourself at the expense of our shared planet. Greed is the problem. Not capitalism as such
Never forget. "Carbon Credits" were invented by British Petroleum. Same guys who bring us this youtube channel.
I think you should also look at social norms that need to be changed. So away from frequent flying and more towards choosing for the train when we travel.
Sure, all good. But can we also not brush off the conversation about privileged activists living a privileged high footprint lifestyle not being credible? And the fact that privileged activists should also try and pass the mic rather than constantly centering themselves? And can we please stop comparing normal people driving cars or flying planes to billionaires with private jets and ten fast cars in their garages? There is no real climate activism without class and privilege awareness. And an extremely privileged activist like Al Gore isn't constrained in his choices as much as we all are. Please.
I was actually thinking about it in another way: Those who live perfectly "green" lifestyles are only those who are privileged enough to afford it. The working class is largely dependent upon the cheap, polluting products that green influencers love to shame them for.
I'm still not flying anywhere....not because of the emissions, I just can't stand being stuck in a tiny uncomfortable seat, surrounded by irritating, screaming children🤣
there's probably some spoiled brat out there with no sense of money that would think "well, just charter a private jet then"
"We can only buy what is produced" may be one of the most important messages to get out.
I feel guilty about flying. And about shopping at Trader Joe's with all their items wrapped in plastic.
Our local co-op used to have a robust "refill" section - but eliminated it during the pandemic and its never come back. Any suggestions on how to pressure companies to have better options to buy bulk and refill items post pandemic?
PS I'm a subscriber on Nebula/Curiosity Stream but watch here too to help spread the word! Keep it up!!
No sorry you've flip flopped on your core principles on this one. Doesn't matter whether you are being a climate activist, or a good parent or a manager at work - leaders have to set a good example to be taken seriously. Flying is massively more polluting than alternatives like public transport, or other actions like going vegan.
I can see the argument for immigrants living in rich countries flying to see their families in poor countries - that is one form of climate justice and recompense for loss and damage caused by developed nation's historical emissions. But your video doesn't distinguish between that and luxury flights for tourism or rich people migrating to rich countries, which are personal choices that are not necessary for a high standard of living.
A frequent flyer tax is a fair way to solve most of these issues - one tax free flight a year for immigrants to see their families or one family holiday.
It's basically the equivalent argument of "if you love nature, why don't you go live in it"
My part time job entails me driving my car. Can't help it it's the system that's in place and I always limit the amount I drove or do routes that would be as economy saving as possible. We need a new system entirely to combat this forced dependency
I agree with almost everything you're saying, but I think flights are unique. I haven't been convinced that there is any feasible sustainable replacement for flying. The only way to reduce the emissions (besides maybe having people sleep in bunk beds and increasing density) is to reduce the actual number of flights taken, which will almost certainly mean that people just won't get to travel as much. Similar for eating (livestock-grown) meat -- systemic solutions like "electrify cars" or even "build trains" can really only go so far and also risk the rebound effect. At some point, people need to stop consuming so much of these unreplaceable consumables (flights and meat). Lab grown meat seems fine-ish once it's available, and something like electric planes would probably be fine, but I haven't seen any serious sources promising e.g. cross-atlantic travel at a reasonable cost within the next 50 years.
Nice video but I still don't like the hipocrisy of the activists and privileged people and exposing it is a very important step. Anyway yes, the problem is in big businesses that should be talked about much more in the media!
This video is misguided on several fronts, especially blaming the fossil fuel companies. The target of our ire and push for policy changes should be on the government side, at all levels. We need cleaner energy production - and only governments can make regulations and provide incentives that push society towards using low fossil fuel sources. Fossil fuel infrastructure has a MASSIVE starting advantage because the fuels are so energy dense and cheap, that they were EASY to develop and use. This also means that there is a massive infrastructure built around those fuels, including careers and lobbyists intent on maintaining them. That said, fossil fuel companies should not be expected to cut off their best source of profits by themselves, when the demand for their services will remain high for decades. We need GOVERNMENT incentives, investments, and regulations to facilitate and provide alternative energy (plus public transit, smaller and more energy efficient homes/offices etc.), and not keep putting barriers in the way of nuclear power etc.
That said, governments don't lead, they tend to FOLLOW public opinion. We need to push politicians - and figure out how to address the concerns of people living in remote areas who currently need to drive a LOT to get anything done.
Also keep in mind that a net zero world cannot support everyone flying to visit family on a regular basis. If you are truly committed to a climate solution, you're going to have to get comfortable with a much more local economy in future - and that also means greatly reducing migration of people from one continent to another. If your family is all within the same town (or maybe one or two towns over), there is no need to fly.
Really good point, thank you ! :) pls more
Every individual is to blame for their own choices, same for companies and governments. Shell only sells fuel because we collectively consume it. If every customer of shell would half their consumption tomorrow they will stop drilling for oil and would scale back production. This video makes individual choices seem irrelevant, while they are very important.
the problem with that argument (which the video is trying to address) is that the infrastructure doesn't exist for refusal. There are many people who have to be physically on site for work, and there is no other option but to drive. For me, my commute is 20 minutes by car. It would be over 3 hours by transit, and if I biked, it would be over 2 hours on very unsafe roads. So the primary interpretation I and other people get from that sentiment is: either you must give up every aspect of your life (including your livelihood, your relationships, all your spare time, and your safety) or you're a hypocrite that is responsible for the world burning. If those are the options, then the vast majority of people will give up and not take ANY actions.
Blame is not a sustainable motivator.
Oh, I'd happily give up my car, stop using gas powered heaters etc, if I could afford to do any of those things.
But I need a car to get to work, and there are no public transit options for me. I need to heat my home this winter and I can't buy a new electric water heater, so gas it is! Solar is getting cheaper, but it's still expensive, most folks would be priced out by the cost. But those things are all my fault, right? I have total control over how the department of transportation spends it's money. I decided to have a good paying job in a reliable field and I still can't afford this stuff, so again, is it really my choice? Or is it the choice a corporation made on my behalf?
@@cbpd89 well as I’m saying your responsible for your choices, but of course this is dependent on choices from the government and companies. In many cases you can still decide the best option and that’s the individual responsibility, which we should not ignore.
@@MattieAMiller well maybe not blame but responsible for their own choices.
I think this video went too far into saying we shouldn’t do any individual actions in our daily lives to help the planet…
Shelbizleee on youtube has a saying “Do your best and advocate for the rest.” Do what you feasibly can to be environmentally friendly while ALSO advocating for the changes we want to see in the world.
Its kind of mind boggling to me that its not obvious to people that corporations are at fault, not individuals. For that matter, why would you trust anything corporations say on climate change issues? They have an economic interest in not taking responsibility for their actions and continuing to pollute.
Your demand feeds the corporation supply you half wit. You wouldn't last five minutes without fossil fuel.
it would be interesting to see a chartor analysis of carbon emissions per dollar for different activities/purchases. I would be interested in seeing how many pounds of carbon emissions would be produced per dollar for a driving/flying from LA to NY, or flying from LA to Tokyo, vs how many pounds of carbon emissions produced per dollar for eating a hamburger.
Hmm.
I went vegan for health reasons a long time ago (type 2 diabetes in family). Lately I've been feeling just a tiny bit smug?
...But I shouldn't, I drive a long way to work. No bus/train. 😭 At least I have a tiny car.
I mean, you can do so. With the introduction of the BC carbon tax, they calculated the carbon footprint of burning most activities. Taxing carbon is the best way to price in carbon emissions.
Make no mistake! By taking less flights - if more and more of us agreed to do that- WOULD have an impact on the airline industry. Our superpower IS CONSUMER POWER! We can use lack of consuming right back at them! Hit them on their coveted “bottom line” - that’s where it hurts them. #FlyLESS
Definitely, we shouldn't abandon any piece of power that we have, and this is a big one!
Consumerism can’t solve climate change. If that was the case, baggage feed and overbooking wouldn’t be a problem.
I agree with it somehow. It's the consumerism which dictates production. But going carbon neutral will need to be applied to 100% of consumers. Even if 95% go green and remaining 5% keeps emitting high with private jets and yachts and cruise ships, problem will still remain as it is
@@lawrencehan7385 Just to be fair, I’m talking about using CONSUMERS POWER. I should correct my comment
@@carolynbrzezinski5779 It's still inadequate. What you are effectively saying is to vote with your dollar which pits average people against billionaires. At the scale you are even talking about, rather than withholding spending, it's just better to go on strike or change the government.