this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2024
389 points (98.0% liked)

World News

38979 readers
2475 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Small changes never were a viable solution, but for a while they could be sold as one. Especially the ones where the consumer became the problem and one to take action (recycling et al.) Only a complete restructuring of society would do much of anything, and now it's even too late for that because of both the time and the population. Yeah, it's pessimistic and doomerism, but it's also reality.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

It didn't need "a complete restructuring of society" -- that's its own kind of cynical disinformation -- but rather just (a) ending subsidies for polluting industries (including imposing taxes to compensate for externalities) and (b) zoning reform to cease subsidizing low density.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I'd agree I'm cynical, but it's just my opinion based on everything I've read and seen over decades, not some attempt to brainwash people into inaction. We should absolutely do anything we can to change our ways both individually and overall now that we know the damage we do, but that doesn't guarantee a fix.

It's very difficult to discuss the state of things today without being accused of being too negative and now even claimed to be "the problem". If you want to continue thinking that we could have had a modern society with high living standards and constant growth, then go ahead. It's simply not realistic to me knowing we have a finite world. The bacteria in the beaker analogy is well known to everyone.

We crossed the line maybe with the industrial revolution, but certainly with learning how to use chemical means to provide far more food than naturally possible (Haber process). I fail to see how we can ever get back to that line now, especially since it and everything else we do is heavily dependent on petroleum that's also finite. Hence my comment on restructuring society - unlimited growth is not sustainable, yet it's a cornerstone for us for centuries.

I did think we could fix things long ago, but after a while you begin to see the pattern of hope and promises and realize we're experts at fooling ourselves.