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juntareich t1_jdxvwe8 wrote

Reply to comment by The_Most_Superb in The Greenland Ice Sheet is close to a melting point of no return by Vucea

You’re comparing grown adults who make their own decisions to preschool children? Do you realize how weak of an argument that is?

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clickster t1_jdyo6s9 wrote

To make you own decisions, you need agency. Most people have very limited agency. Most don't get to choose where or how their food is grown, how or where their energy needs are met, many have only limited control over where they live (a function of work / cost), how infrastructure they rely upon is created, how the industries they rely upon are regulated and supplied etc etc... the big moving parts in civilisation are controlled by a handful of entities; not "the people".

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juntareich t1_je0bn92 wrote

One of the major challenges is that people misuse the agency they do have. People value their own wants, comfort and convenience above all. Your statement ignores the fact that everyone could give up beef tomorrow. That no one needs to fly across the world or drive across the country for leisure. People make the choices that benefit them the most, rich and poor, seventh generation be damned.

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mascachopo t1_jdy38k8 wrote

As grown adults we live in a society that has been and keeps being designed to extract every cent from us as consumers. Many people will behave like your idyllic thoughts suggest but in reality most of us are just a product of constant market manipulation.

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rokenroleg t1_jdy68sb wrote

I've seen most adults, I think it's a fair take.

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agent_wolfe t1_jdywtpg wrote

You’ve seen “most” adults…? How long did that take?

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The_Most_Superb t1_jdygd3p wrote

Your right, that analogy isn’t right. When comparing the average knowledge of an average adult to the subject matter experts of billion dollar corporations and the thousands of careers dedicated to climate research I should have said: would you blame a bunch of amebas for getting squished by oil tycoon’s boot? Blaming individual consumers for entire systems planned, created, and executed by corporations is ridiculous. “If you alone gave up red meat you could counter act the Exxon Valdeez! Or maybe if you don’t buy things from Amazon, you’ll save the polar bears!” The big polluters won’t stop unless regulations step in to make them stop. The government is in control of the regulations that make up the market that these companies operate in. The government could end subsidies for factory farming meat, and oil and gas, but they don’t. They see these companies giving out cigarettes at preschools and look the other way.

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juntareich t1_je0b1jq wrote

Yes, the system and those who create and maintain it bear heavy responsibility; so do the consumers who continue to make choices that exacerbate the problems.

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