Quote:
Originally Posted by driveway
So, I guess the question is, if you accept that climate change is occurring and is the result of human activities, do you think it's a problem and, if so, what are you doing personally to solve the problem? Does it affect what you buy, who you vote for, what you do at work?
I think that's the ultimate thrust of "climate change activism", you don't have to rant and scream on websites, or in people's faces, but you can buy unbleached toilet paper and fluorescent lightbulbs.
If you believe that is is a problem, but you actively make decisions that exacerbate it because you're annoyed by 'activists', then you're just a crochety a-hole. Like Captain Crunch, and no one wants to be that.
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I don't believe that there is anything we can do on a personal level through our daily habits without government intervention or fostering of certain industries or economic incentives.
If you really are concerned about the reduction of emissions, the only solution is to make it economically viable and offer incentives to people, companies, and countries to operate in that manner.
In Germany, private solar panels are on millions of houses and farms. Any unused energy they have can be sold back into the grid. People save on their energy bills and are given incentives in the way of being back to make back money on their investments. It has also created another positive feedback loop in that the purchase of so many solar panels has created a good inventive for companies to invest in solar technology research and manufacturing there which makes them a world leader in a new business. Things like that - if promoted by government or business are the only solutions. I honestly don't see why we don't have something like that in Canada.
By far, some the greatest carbon emitting countries in the world are industrializing and developing countries and their contribution will only increase as their populations get bigger and the 1st world grows more reliant on them for raw materials and manufacturing. What you and I can do personally on a daily basis won't put a dent into anything. It's just a drop in the bucket. With the booming industrialization of China and the billions of people there, the whole business of carbon offsets and trying to get industrializing countries to regulate themselves is futile until they are given more time to develop a more socially and environmentally conscious society.
These are the debates we should be having. Not the ones the Republican committees are trying to have or the ones some posters in this thread are goading us into having. Solutions are good for everyone. Being argumentative and defensive on internet threads only wastes time and exhausts me. That's why I don't like the activism. Many I have met give me the impression they value arguing more than trying to find solutions in science and business. I apologize if that colors my impression of certain posters in this thread as it is prejudicial of me.