Alfa3
Mike FraserWays to fight climate change.
Easy:
Buy less stuff.
Re-use more stuff.
Fix broken stuff.
Burn less stuff.
Eat local stuff.
Feel free to add to the list.
Non ideological answers only.
Alex the Artistic Autist@mike discontinue billionaires
StacyLove it! Also:
Research the environmental bills your politicians vote for/against and vote for/against those politicians.
@dancinyogi
Vote on climate stuff.
Vote on climate stuff.
AndrewLove our neighbours - where- and when- ever they are.
Laimis
Paul Wermer, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0@mike
Early support for & then Voting for candidates who commit to climate action
Local advocacy: Mayors, councilors/ supervisors/alderprrsons need to hear from constituents. A lot needs to happen at the local level, esp. considering #ClimateJustice needs, where local understanding is essential
monkee 
@mike
Even more important: Pressure the other 75% of CO2-Producers to reduce their output too. ("Only" 25% is Private People)
That we can change the climate crisis by individual actions only is Oil-Lobby Propaganda. They want us to fight over small Things while thy fuck over the planet big time when no one is looking...
Utan Klaus
Stevens R Miller
Michael Gemar
SiobhanVohn@mike when you do need to buy stuff, never buy new, always second hand.
@SiobhanVohn
Re-use stuff.
Re-use stuff.
@mike yup def. I've found many people don't recognise that buying second hand is included in reusing stuff. So good it needs to be said twice.
endarkenment@mike replace capitalism with an economic system that doesn’t require continuous growth. #ClimateAction
@markrod I understand this sentiment as we currently grossly over consume. But the question I never get a, satisfactory answer to is: replace it with what?
Vesa / Merri / メレリ@mike @markrod Gradual reduction of the power of money. As that is what is needed for such a change to go through (peacefully). I guess at first it would just mean making money less relevant for a regular functioning daily life for the majority while simultaneously removing the ability to do major buying decisions for individuals, the ones that would suddenly consume/pollute way over what an avarage person consumes on a yearly basis. Like, ban private jets and yachts.
@mike @markrod You can choose to live with a larger part of your family rather than alone, or with just a partner and maybe kids.
Or you can live with friends or people who feel more like family.
You can focus on teaching, helping and supporting others rather than improving only/mostly yourself. While also learning from others.
You can also do those over Internet, and to my knowledge many do have an extended "family" online these days.
Share and loan things.
Accept others and diversity.
Badger AF (he/him) DEMOCRACYSharing and loaning things is an awesome idea! Very often we need things just one or two times - no point in buying it.
@mike @MerriNet putting the responsibility on individuals is exactly why we have reached this dead end. You cannot make choices, good or bad, that will have any discernible effect. Governments could, but don’t. So we are stuck in a global system that won’t reform itself and is causing an existential crisis for human civilization.
ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘@mike @markrod Look up the Buy Nothing Project and join your local group (requires a facebook account). Or start one.
Give away all your excess stuff and ask for anything you need. There is enough stuff in the world to keep us going for another 10- 20 years.
The groups also build connection and trust in communities. People look after each other.
MostlyTato@mike
Compost food waste
Grow your own
Plant loads of stuff everywhere
Overthrow capitalism
Eat the rich?
Compost food waste
Grow your own
Plant loads of stuff everywhere
Overthrow capitalism
Eat the rich?
@MostlyTato You had me, then you lost me.
@mike
The local/personal mitigations, whilst valid and laudable, are insignificant compared to ideological solutions.
Real change requires a shift in global ideological consensus, a consensus dominated by policy controlled by billionaires with vested interest in fossil fuel exploitation, who have been trying to lay the blame of climate apocalypse off onto individual responsibility for decades.
We can, and should imo, do our bit at a local level, but its not enough, not by a long shot.
The local/personal mitigations, whilst valid and laudable, are insignificant compared to ideological solutions.
Real change requires a shift in global ideological consensus, a consensus dominated by policy controlled by billionaires with vested interest in fossil fuel exploitation, who have been trying to lay the blame of climate apocalypse off onto individual responsibility for decades.
We can, and should imo, do our bit at a local level, but its not enough, not by a long shot.
@MostlyTato I'm post ideology. That's not the conversation I'm looking to have. I'm looking for real life ways to reduce overall consumption. I've heard enough bullshit rhetoric to last me a life time.
@mike @MostlyTato I so concur! Talking time is over! Make change today!
@MostlyTato @mike There's plenty of ideology, not enough of it translating into effective action. Not enough sense of urgency. Viz person who thinks they're helping the planet by buying wooden instead of plastic dryer balls. No! Helping the planet is no dryer balls and no dryer! Hang the washing on the line! Tokenism will not get us there. We must be willing to be inconvenienced, do things slowly and live without constant novelty and entertainment.
Brent, in a jar@anne_twain I've been learning lately that pointing to any individual's actions as helping or hurting climate change is a scam being pushed on people by the major polluters and profiteers.
That said, a life of instant consumer driven satisfaction is not helping and is likely to not even be possible for more than a few more years. Sorry, went ideological there :(
(Also looked up thread and see I'm preaching to the choir, h/t to @MostlyTato) @mike
That said, a life of instant consumer driven satisfaction is not helping and is likely to not even be possible for more than a few more years. Sorry, went ideological there :(
(Also looked up thread and see I'm preaching to the choir, h/t to @MostlyTato) @mike
@BrentInMasto @MostlyTato @mike I suspect that the "scam" you described is itself a scam pushed by fossil fuel interests. I'm quite sure they're pushing anything they can to make people feel helpless and give up.
My rationale is:
- My actions as an individual may have very little impact on CO2 levels, BUT
- They demonstrate to governments that I am willing to make the sacrifices and change my lifestyle to mitigate climate catastrophe
- They potentially influence those around me, demonstrating how intricately tied up with fossil fuels our lives are and what needs doing to make change
- I won't ask others to do anything I'm not willing to do myself.
It may be true that only government can make effective change, but what exactly are we going to ask them to do? By talking through these ideas that becomes clearer, as we can see from this thread.
@anne_twain Great stuff, thanks for sharing! Even if it doesn't change the world, leading by example is empowering for all the reasons you mention.
@MostlyTato @mike
@MostlyTato @mike
@BrentInMasto @anne_twain @MostlyTato Why not get the ball rolling, make less consumption a habit. What can it hurt?
Kevin Leecaster@mike
Insulate!
#NegaWatts are the best joules to tackle first.
May be covered under what you stated but:
Stop buying live Christmas trees
Plant more trees
David S (inactive)Fly less
Cruise less
Drive less
Walk more
Cycle more
alcinnz@mike Offer to fix other's broken stuff!
@alcinnz That's a great one!
@alcinnz @mike Brilliant! I fixed a few sewing machines for peeps in my Buy Nothing Group this year. Now they can mend their clothes, or make new ones out of fabric remnants discarded by others. They can shorten curtains to fit their windows and pants to fit their children. Sewing is a great skill. Learn it.
Linda@mike loan stuff
@lindagallagher Omg a power tool/hand tool loan program would have saved me thousands. I've bought so many tools for one time use.
Grant 
🇨🇦@mike @lindagallagher
This! Plus I wouldn’t have 2 or 3 of the things I couldn’t find when I needed it.
A tool co-op of some kind would be fantastic! But that might smack of socialism. Oops, ideology…
@graand
Some libraries have tools to lend! But yes, completely agree more community tool exchanges and what not would be spiffy!
@pluralistic was talking about Library Socialism (natch!) a while back...
https://memex.craphound.com/2019/11/25/library-socialism-a-utopian-vision-of-a-sustaniable-luxuriant-future-of-circulating-abundance/
@mike @lindagallagher
Some libraries have tools to lend! But yes, completely agree more community tool exchanges and what not would be spiffy!
@pluralistic was talking about Library Socialism (natch!) a while back...
https://memex.craphound.com/2019/11/25/library-socialism-a-utopian-vision-of-a-sustaniable-luxuriant-future-of-circulating-abundance/
@mike @lindagallagher
@mike @lindagallagher I asked to borrow a socket spanner in my Buy Nothing Group and was lent one within hours. Lender lived literally in the next street, dropped the tool off while walking his dog and collected it the same way.
There are many people out there who *want* to be kind and helpful.
@lindagallagher @mike Check out the Buy Nothing Project if you haven't already.
Steve
Jack of all trades@mike You had me until the last sentence. A reading of some #Zizek is in order. 😂
Let me try anyway...
- Don't eat meat.
Hmm, that's a #vegan ideology...
What about:
- Don't use a car.
That's #banCars ideology.
- Don't fly?
That's just pure #JustStopOil ideology.
I tried, but hey, "buy less stuff" is some heavy #antiCapitalism and #antiConsumerism ideology right there.
@jackofalltrades Yes of course everything can be categorized as ideology, ethos, philosophy, whatever.. I'm trying to avoid the "eat the rich", "end capitalism" regurgitative clap trap that is absolutely useless in my daily life.
@mike That's fascinating!
You are advocating for actions that when implemented by the majority would in effect end #capitalism, but at the same time you are annoyed by the "end capitalism regurgitative clap trap".
In other words, you are looking for solutions that stay within the philosophical framework of #individualism to a systemic wicked problem of #ClimateChange.
@jackofalltrades Sure.. You classify and quantify, I'll be over here discussing ways to reduce consumption. Join any time you like.
@mike Why would you want to reduce consumption? I thought you wanted to fight climate change. If we can't discuss capitalism then the solution is obviously to buy more, but just the right "green" kind of stuff.
Buy more solar panels.
Buy plane tickets with carbon offsets.
Buy an EV. Or two.
Buy only the most efficient appliances.
Buy shares in "green" companies.
There you go, that should help, all of the above you can easily implement in your daily life. None of that "end capitalism" crap.
@jackofalltrades You're having a different conversation than I am. There are plenty who will take you up on it, I'm not one. Have a nice day.
@jackofalltrades @mike Individualism is perfectly compatible with recognizing and solving systemic problems. For example, #ClimateChange is a result of a violation of the equal claim of every individual to products of nature. The lack of institutional recognition of this equal claim of all individuals is what allows polluters to keep polluting without paying for the true social costs of their pollution
@jlou You missed the part where you explain how individual actions can overcome the lack of institutional recognition.