this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
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When I was in elementary school, the cafeteria switched to disposable plastic trays because the paper ones hurt trees. Stupid, I know... but are today's initiatives any better?

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[–] UndoLips@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

A lot of the initiatives are ineffective by design because the real goal is to give the consumers agency over the problem. Corporations have known that individual effort is a drop in the bucket but by framing the problem as not not a "corporate" problem but a "society" problem, they can keep not fixing it, for profit.

[–] themoonisacheese@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Today's initiatives are theater.

100 companies are responsible for 71% of the worlds emissions. The rest is also mainly companies. The idea of a carbon footprint is propaganda invented by BP (this sounds like a conspiracy but I swear it's true, look it up). Before anything you personally can accomplish can make any difference, we would first have to significantly change society.

[–] NotAPenguin@kbin.social -5 points 1 year ago

Those companies pollute to produce goods and services that individuals buy.

What does holding corporations accountable look like if not refusing to give them our money while advocating for regulation?

Individual change is changing society.

Throwing your hands in the air, doing nothing to change your destructive habits and just saying "but corporations" isn't gonna help anything.

[–] beefbaby182@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I gave up hope when I learned that the blue and green recycle bins in my area are really only there to make the consumer feel better about how much we waste as a society. A lot of the stuff we put in those bins still just winds up in a landfill.

[–] NotAPenguin@kbin.social -5 points 1 year ago

One thing not working like it should doesn't make your destructive habits less destructive.

Ha, look at this optimist who thinks there'll be people in the future.

[–] NotAPenguin@kbin.social -5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yes, go vegan and stop driving if you actually want to change your impact.

https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food

[–] JasSmith@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The average British person emits 76 times more CO2 than the offset of one person going vegan for life. Even if everyone on the planet went vegan today, forever, their sacrifice would be undone by the number of new babies born in a single year, globally. Veganism isn’t going to solve climate change. It’s not even going to make a dent. We should be focusing on practical, real measures to reduce global CO2 output. For example, the move from coal to LNG halves CO2 output. This transition alone is an order of magnitude more impactful than the entire world going vegan for life. If you care about climate change you’ll invest your limited time and energy where it counts.

[–] kenbw2@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And if not vegan then at least not beef

Beef is 10x more carbon intensive than pork

[–] NotAPenguin@kbin.social -5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Going fully vegan isn't hard tho :)

[–] Bojimbo@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Most people simply arent going to go vegan, and many need to take baby steps toward it. Cutting out beef is a great first step.

[–] NotAPenguin@kbin.social -5 points 1 year ago

But let's also not make it seem more difficult than it is, it's very easy to avoid animal products.

Shouting "BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT ALL THE WAY" every time veganism is brought up is a bit silly.

[–] illi@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's really not these days, but it is much easier if people start at least reducing. It is also much more approachable to people still used to animal products. It is a natural transition and still helps.