the idea of the people being responsible is the same propaganda that companies pulled with recycling campaigns and "litter" problems of the 70's it's a shift of responsibility to people who are helpless to really have any real impact away from companies who are directly profiting from producing plastics, waste, manufacturing emissions, transportation, freight, ect at a scale that is truly unfathomable
There's a difference between being responsible (having the obligation to take action) and being at fault (being the one who actually made the bad decisions that led to the situation you're in).
Most of the decisions that led to this situation were not made by me.
And the few cases where I'm genuinely implicated are 'trolley problems' set up by people who are more directly responsible, because they are more powerful.
The most effective response is probably political action.
I hit qualified no because my contribution is very tiny and even on my worst days it's largely out of my direct control.
Do I benefit from the excesses and abuses of climate change? Absolutely. Do I benefit more than than vast majority of humans? Again, absolutely. Can and should I do more DESPITE IT BEING A MOSTLY MEANINGLESS GESTURE. 100%.
Who is to blame then? Capitalism and it's leaders.
John Oliver explains what carbon offsets are, what they claim to do, how they might be making climate change even worse, and, of course, how Oscar Isaac is g...
When I was younger I didn’t know better, so a little bit. I’ve done my fair share to even out the scales after I realized what’s what. And will do more in the future.
I was going to say that I don't think "responsible", and especially individual responsibility, is a productive frame through which to examine this; I think both "yes I am responsible" and "no I am not responsible" lead to unhealthy and unuseful conclusions. But then I thought from another angle which is that while I think it's not useful to ask that question about me, I consider that there is a single class of people (oil execs) who are specifically extremely responsible for it, by deliberately investing in increasing demand for petroleum products, creating the industry, creating dependency, and obfuscating the effects they knew would come about.
So I ended up saying strong no because we know who's responsible, and it's not me
All my life I've done and used things that cause climate change, starting from way before I and most people had ever heard about it right up to the present day.
So yes, I'm both responsible and accountable for it, and trying to stop it.
If the plan for solving climate change is that every individual has to change their behavior, then that's not a plan. That's just a wish, a silly one.
The industries responsible for making climate change worse need us to focus on ourselves so that we ignore their role in it. They need us patting ourselves on the back for using cloth grocery bags, which we fill with their products... packaged in plastic.
@jxself I think you had it right the first time. OP's just happy to see that others feel they share some responsibility for affecting the climate with their personal actions
I said "qualified yes" since my actions inevitably exacerbate climate change yet the fact that I've spent much of the last decade working hard to reduce societal GHG emissions, primarily through advocating for heat pumps and the elimination of "dirty" heating fuels, should more than offset the GHGs that I am personally responsible for producing.
@jxself I could see the question as reading both ways: 1. Am I responsible for the catastrophic collapses we are currently witnessing 2. Am I taking responsibility currently, as a present and conscious life choice.
Evan Prodromou
•ðŸ…¹ found Wilson. ✋
•tea 🌺
•Blaidd Drwg
•Space Catitude 🚀
•Most of the decisions that led to this situation were not made by me.
And the few cases where I'm genuinely implicated are 'trolley problems' set up by people who are more directly responsible, because they are more powerful.
The most effective response is probably political action.
Evan Prodromou
•Philip Cardella
•Do I benefit from the excesses and abuses of climate change? Absolutely. Do I benefit more than than vast majority of humans? Again, absolutely. Can and should I do more DESPITE IT BEING A MOSTLY MEANINGLESS GESTURE. 100%.
Who is to blame then? Capitalism and it's leaders.
https://youtu.be/6p8zAbFKpW0
Carbon Offsets: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
YouTubeJT Leskinen
•ebalder
•Elle 💗
•Ellie
•There's no ethical consumption under capitalism, after all.
Should I do more? YES. Can anything I do tip the scale? NO.
Sean Heber
•Dave Neary
•Bill Plein🌶
•Evan Prodromou
•John Lusk
•@evan
shoofle
•So I ended up saying strong no because we know who's responsible, and it's not me
Sou
•So yes, I'm both responsible and accountable for it, and trying to stop it.
bedknobs and bootstraps
•Sou
•It's human nature, I guess, and one of the reasons it's taking so long to turn things around.
Wolfie Rankin
•But wish I was less responsible for any of it.
Steve
•The industries responsible for making climate change worse need us to focus on ourselves so that we ignore their role in it. They need us patting ourselves on the back for using cloth grocery bags, which we fill with their products... packaged in plastic.
ricardo :mastodon:
•see shy jo
•Evan Prodromou
•Thom O'Connor
•Evan Prodromou
•As someone who works on climate change for a living, it's heartening to see this level of common purpose.
Thanks to everyone who replied!
Jason Self
•Hobson Lane
•Evan Prodromou
•Bob Wyman
•Mason, reluctant american
•I could see the question as reading both ways:
1. Am I responsible for the catastrophic collapses we are currently witnessing
2. Am I taking responsibility currently, as a present and conscious life choice.