MondayToFriday t1_ivuavkh wrote on November 10, 2022 at 5:41 PM

Reply to comment by rando_khan in Climate change: efforts to halt rise in global temperatures may be too late to save key glaciers, report warns by wmdolls

The pattern is clear, though. Every year, there is a climate summit. Countries bicker, then maybe come to some compromise, and we leave with a cautious sense of optimism. Then a year later it turns out that every country has fallen far short of the stated targets, and there are no repercussions.

The reality is that most people don't care enough about climate change to prioritize it above their own short-term economic well being. Government measures, if they manage to become legislation, get tied up in courts, and get overturned. National elections happen, responsible governments get thrown out, replaced by laissez-faire governments. Russia invades Ukraine, and now petroleum companies are scrambling to increase natural gas development.

People didn't want to be told to put on a sweater in the 1970s. People today in developed nations aren't willing to accept a regression in their lifestyle, and in developing nations aren't willing to forego the cheap easy economic growth from using fossil fuels.

"Get out and vote" doesn't help, when the other side keeps doing those things too.

rando_khan t1_ivubduy wrote on November 10, 2022 at 5:44 PM

In my mind, this is an argument for more local action, and more direct action.

Significant impacts can be made at smaller scales than countries, and public opinion is starting to shift with respect to sustainability.

Even if a lot of the corporate noise about it is greenwashing, the fact that advertising is being targeted that way indicates that people do care enough to change some of their spending habits.