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Thread: Is climate change something you care about?

  1. #1
    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    Is climate change something you care about?

    Is climate change something you care about? Why? Why not?

    If you do care, have you made any changes (small or large) to your lifestyle?
    These changes could be to slow down climate change or to prepare for the eventualities?

    Just curious. I watched a Trevor Noah bit on it.


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    Yes greatly, discussions of this in this society (this social climate haha) tend to turn into ridiculous purity tests though: "you don't do this, and you do that", and finger wave, for what are ultimately, and they ARE ultimately *systematic problems*. Am I involved politically in the issue? Yes. To a degree that makes a difference? I really doubt it. Am I an informed citizen on the topic and locally as well, not just about the national (and global with Brazil) horror show? Yes I know what is going on locally in terms of legislation with major climate impact etc.. And I mean I'm sure I make lots of tweaks to my lifestyle, that don't make that much difference really, and I still drive if you want it to be all about that.
    Trees don't grow on money

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    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    It is a difficult issue. And quite frankly I think that only a tiny percentage of people care. And only an infinitesimal number of people live in sustainable way.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Rogar's Avatar
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    I've found that my version of simple living and having a low carbon footprint are very compatible. "Sustainable" can either be relative or absolute. I agree that most people are not willing to make big lifestyle changes to reduce their carbon footprint, but more think it's the responsibility of the government to do everything.

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    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    What I would find interesting would be some kind of projections about climate change and its effect on human civilizations that is then instructive about survival strategies.

    Like: "If you live on a tiny island in the Pacific you should move to Wyoming," but with details and scenarios for various other geographic regions.

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    And quite frankly I think that only a tiny percentage of people care. And only an infinitesimal number of people live in sustainable way.
    true about sustainable. I think people don't know how to deal with it, how to process it. Well climate activists have chosen their stance (go down fighting, rage against the dying of the light no matter), so have utterly resigned people (await near term human extinction - believe me I personally know people like this awaiting extinction in a few years - they could be right or wrong), but most people .... In the car with coworkers, NPR was on (not me driving, I don't even like NRP much), news of the world, subject was climate change, and people didn't know what to say to such a degree they were talking "how about that stock market etc." I mean I think most people on some level don't know how to process ...

    What I would find interesting would be some kind of projections about climate change and its effect on human civilizations that is then instructive about survival strategies.
    I don't think it's that important that any particular individual survive really. I think there is a moral obligation to those most affected (really poor countries usually), and younger generations (really it makes sense to question the wisdom of having kids at this point, but people will anyway) to do what one can to hope that something survives (and maybe even someone), and to push for the best triage strategies one can (ie the best chance of helping as many people as possible, doing whatever mitigation is possible, relieve suffering).
    Trees don't grow on money

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    Senior Member dmc's Avatar
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    I’m not concerned. But I do probably keep my carbon footprint below the Obamas, Gore, and those Hollywood elites that jet to their fancy conferences.

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    I care a lot. I recognize that whatever changes I make are a mere drop in the ocean. But I still try. And I fear for my grandchildren’s futures on this planet.

    The two us (adults, married) share one car

    Our one car is hybrid and 95% of our use is electric not gas

    We have two high quality bikes

    Our house has solar panels so often we are charging our car on sunshine

    We live 5 miles from my job

    He is recently retired - but we live 1.5 miles from his prior job and he rode his bike to work

    We try to buy things with little packaging

    We try to buy less stuff overall

    We buy high quality clothing that we use a long time

    We reuse lots of things and repurpose things and repair our stuff

    We don’t use paper plates except for huge parties that happen about once a year - then it’s paper products instead of plastic for 80% of the disposables

    We live in an 810 square foot house

    We eat some meat but not daily

    We use the light rail

    We have mostly desert landscaping but we do water a few fruit trees out back

    No lawn

    Cloth bags

    Wash and reuse ziplock bags

    Eat most of our leftovers instead of discarding

    Compost in our backyard

    But then we fly somewhere once a year and that’s not a good choice environmentally.

    It still feels like a losing battle.

  9. #9
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ultralight View Post
    It is a difficult issue. And quite frankly I think that only a tiny percentage of people care. And only an infinitesimal number of people live in sustainable way.
    It is very difficult in current American society for an American to live sustainably, even with the best of intentions and access to significant capital.

    I try with such things are are within my control, but I exist embedded in a matrix where most any simple thing has wide-reaching effects, and alternatives to those things are non-existent or radically impractical.

    For instance, I had only one child, I drive < 3000 miles a year usually, I bicycle nearly everywhere now, I buy most of my food from producers within easy cycling distance, I produce about as much solar power as my house consumes, etc. etc.

    But I also Amazon Prime things, rather than waiting several weeks and doing a supply run to the mainland. And my one daughter goes to school in the UK, so there's the matter of air travel. And I'm typing this on a laptop that presumably is horrid environmentally. And I'm pretty sure those solar panels in my large array probably left pools of toxic material in some far-off land, but even determining that fact is tricky.

    While I do care, there's not much I as an individual can directly do. And I live on an island in the Pacific, so sea level is a thing we all here are concerned about.

    The latest season of "The Good Place" had as a plot tidbit that the good/bad scoring system used to determine if souls go to The Good Place or The Bad Place had broken down, because of the unintended bad consequences that occur in today's complex society by even the most noble-looking act. And so everyone was going to The Bad Place.

  10. #10
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    I care very much about climate change and what destruction is going on with our sweet Mother Earth.

    I've made many changes, considering the limitations of where we live. (a car dependent state, with urban sprawl and no sustainable communities.)
    *I've used cloth bags for 35 years already. Had to fight back then and some stores refused and stuffed purchases into plastic bags anyway.
    *We do have 2 vehicles but drive less than 15k combined. That includes our many drives to the mountain cabin!
    *I grow and preserve as much of our food as I can on our city lot. I'll be spending time this winter studying more condensed growing methods now that i'm retired and will have more time to tend the gardens.
    * Our homes are both small-we don't rip out and replace stuff unless trashed (our carpet is about 3y overdue but I can't decide what I want). cabinets/counters are solid and forever.
    *We had the energy audit offered by the power company many years ago. We completed all of their requests to tighten up.
    *Gardens are drip irrigation. Our water bill is still lower than in 1995 when i started ripping out grass and growing food/perennials.
    *On the rare occasion we need a new item, I go to the thrift store first.
    * Now that I'm retired, I attempt no more than 2d/week getting in my car. If there is a single stop errand, I ask hubby to do it on his way home from work.
    *We use up and wear out what we have. Replace only if there is no alternative remaining in our possession.
    *We recycle everything possible and we did long before curbside pickup. Better yet, we precycle as much as possible.

    I'm sure there is more.....as opportunity has arisen over the decades, changes become normal rather than unusual.

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