People Want Action On Climate Change... Unless They Have To Pay For It

[Economy 52,842]

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.thestar.com/amp/politics/federal/2019/08/29/canadian-voters-like-carbon-initiatives-but-not-paying-for-them-poll-finds.html

 

A study and poll have concluded what may have seen obvious. People want action on climate change as long as they arent the ones paying for it

 

Most Canadians support the idea of innitiatives to reduce carbon emissions as one of the biggest election issues but do not approve if it hits their wallet such as the carbon tax

[Economy 52,842]

Attitudes like this is why we cant solve social, economic and environmental problems...

 

People always want change but never want to be the ones to make sacrafices for it

 

People want more funding for schools, hospitals and social benefits yet complain at the prospect of any tax hikes

 

People complain about the fossil fuel industry but still drive their gas cars

 

People complain about animal abuse and industry practices and still buy meat...

 

Humans have got to be the most hypocritical race in the universe

 

I for one dont love paying the carbon tax at the pumpms but I dont complain cuz I know why its there and that the environment needs this gezz

[xoxo Craig 55,649]

The thing is, Carbon Dioxide makes up a very little percentage of greenhouse gases. We need to tackle the plastics in our oceans and the mirco plastics that have been found in the ice. We need to do better at recylcing  plastics, and also using the resources we have that are reuable. We need to develop hybrid or electric planes so we can still travel with ease, ban petrol cars and invent faster charging electric cars that last longer ect.

Also, going vegan comes with a huge cost and is detrimental to the world and our health in general. 

[whore 11,447]

Because the general public shouldn’t have to pay for anything when it’s the big businesses that are flinging us into climate change. They’re the ones that need to change. We’re not going to solve anything with metal straws and reusable bags, it’s the major corporations that are ruining the planet 

[IamChromatica 2,025]

It's simple. If we don't pay for it now we'll be paying for it a lot more in the future.

[dynamite 66,566]

A lot of people already struggle to have a decent quality of life on their income as it is so I understand why they don't want to pay more.

This is in the hands of the massive corporations who have the power and money to make a change. We didn't cause a plastic problem or anything else, they did. We are using what they inflicted on us. 

I've made some changes. I bought metal straws, take my own bags shopping and recycle as much as humanly possible. But I also eat a lot of meat and this year I went on a bunch of (shorthaul) trips, mostly by flying. Though I do look for a viable bus option and use that sometimes. But then I'm also never going to have kids and likely never going to drive either. I walk, cycle or take public transport everywhere. But I know I still make an impact.

I would LOVE cleaner planes! Is it possible?! 

Also, unless it's straightforward and costs nothing, the number of people required to make a difference simply won't know what exactly to do or bother doing it. It's complicated. It's not as simple as recycling your plastic packaging, that's mostly all we were taught growing up, and now suddenly it's having kids, meat, flying, driving, single use plastic, all plastic, plastic straws but then people with disabilities can't use other straws what's the solution for them etc... And the 1000 other things contributing to it. Wtf do we do? Even certain aspects of veganism are harmful to the environment apparently? There's just a lot of misinformation. Idk.

[gagzus 22,967]

People often don’t want to pay because they know their generation will be dead and buried by the time the long term major and irreversible effects take place. I suspect by the time most of our parents are dead we will have to start paying for stuff to do wth climate change.

We need to actually start doing something and I know some people talk about big businesses but you can change it with your wallet, stop purchasing from companies that use plastic packaging or that dump crap in the ocean or use fossil fuel power and cause greenhouse gases. We’re running out of resources and fast and we need to actually do something instead of saying we’re going to tbh

[Economy 52,842]

17 minutes ago, Loeppke said:

Because the general public shouldn’t have to pay for anything when it’s the big businesses that are flinging us into climate change. They’re the ones that need to change. We’re not going to solve anything with metal straws and reusable bags, it’s the major corporations that are ruining the planet 

 

10 minutes ago, dynamite said:

A lot of people already struggle to have a decent quality of life on their income as it is so I understand why they don't want to pay more.

This is in the hands of the massive corporations who have the power and money to make a change. We didn't cause a plastic problem or anything else, they did. We are using what they inflicted on us. 

I've made some changes. I bought metal straws, take my own bags shopping and recycle as much as humanly possible. But I also eat a lot of meat and this year I went on a bunch of (shorthaul) trips, mostly my flying. Though I do look for a viable bus option and use that sometimes. But then I'm also never going to have kids and likely never going to drive either. I walk, cycle or take public transport everywhere. But I know I still make an impact.

I would LOVE cleaner planes! Is it possible?! 

Uhhhhh... we are the ones that buy their products

 

This attitude if blaming the rich and corporations for all of earths problems is beyond me

 

While they have their faults... they would have no business if we didnt buy their products

 

The main cause of co2 emissions is transportation, electrical power generation and to a lesser degree the beef and dairy industry

 

Who uses cars? Who uses electricity? Who consumes dairy and meat? Its rich and middle class alike

 

Corporations may need to accept responsibility for their foot print but so do we

 

For example this carbon canadians hate applies to the oil industry but it also applies to motorists to encourage less driving gas cars...

 

Tax only the oil producers and it has no impact. U need to discourage consumers too

[Zander 14,944]

Its an unpopular opinion but I think more cities should adopt what London are doing and have the Low Emission Zone where it discourages people to take their cars and take public transport otherwise they have to pay £12.50 per day (or £100 if its  coach, lorry etc..) to drive within the zones if their cars don't meet the euro exhaust emission standard (electric cars are exempt). The money allegedly gets reinvested into improving the transport network and making London’s air cleaner. 

[Economy 52,842]

10 minutes ago, gagzus said:

People often don’t want to pay because they know their generation will be dead and buried by the time the long term major and irreversible effects take place. I suspect by the time most of our parents are dead we will have to start paying for stuff to do wth climate change.

We need to actually start doing something and I know some people talk about big businesses but you can change it with your wallet, stop purchasing from companies that use plastic packaging or that dump crap in the ocean or use fossil fuel power and cause greenhouse gases. We’re running out of resources and fast and we need to actually do something instead of saying we’re going to tbh

This thankyou! Corporations cant force sales. No one is holding a gun to ur head and forcing u to buy anything. They can only see what we choose to buy

 

Its so easy to ignore that earths sustainability is caused by the habits and consumption of most people.

 

Companies only make it possible for ppl to have access to things. U have to choose to actually buy it

[dynamite 66,566]

9 minutes ago, Economy said:

 

Uhhhhh... we are the ones that buy their products

 

This attitude if blaming the rich and corporations for all of earths problems is beyond me

 

While they have their faults... they would have no business if we didnt buy their products

 

The main cause of co2 emissions is transportation, electrical power generation and to a lesser degree the beef and dairy industry

 

Who uses cars? Who uses electricity? Who consumes dairy and meat? Its rich and middle class alike

 

Corporations may need to accept responsibility for their foot print but so do we

 

For example this carbon canadians hate applies to the oil industry but it also applies to motorists to encourage less driving gas cars...

 

Tax only the oil producers and it has no impact. U need to discourage consumers too

Yes, we buy their products. Which are absolutely everywhere. These products came before anyone was aware they were bad. And now our towns, villages, cities and entire society is centred around shops which all sell these products. Even the market stalls here overuse plastic. What am I supposed to do? Take a taxi to some niche chain that doesn't exist in another village to pick up some potatoes which happen to not be wrapped in plastic? Come on. Any shop I go to I really struggle to find many things with environmentally friendly packaging. 

Anyway, isn't it single use plastic that's the main problem, and straws especially due to their size? What's wrong with buying plastic wrapped vegetables if I recycle it? Though I would prefer unwrapped.

I went to the market the other day as even though they use plastic it's somewhat less than Tesco, for example. The avocados were mouldy the day I got them and the other fruit went furry the next day. Oh wait avocados are also bad in general anyway. Do you see my confusion. I'm not saying it's impossible but meat is bad, fish is bad, plastic is bad, unwrapped fruit and veg from markets goes mouldy before I get a chance to eat it. That leaves me with what? Potatoes and my toenails.

And yes I'm blaming corporations because they're everywhere and it's not like everyone is going to this one place that sells bad **** when there are better options all around. They're ALL bad.

[Diamonster 1,786]

7 minutes ago, Economy said:

Who uses cars? Who uses electricity? Who consumes dairy and meat? Its rich and middle class alike

 

Corporations may need to accept responsibility for their foot print but so do we

I honestly hate this argument, do all of us have a choice? Do we have a choice to just not use electricity? When phones and computers and internet for many are the basis of their job, transportation when going to work is absolutely necessary if you work in a whole other city.

You can’t criticize people that barely can make ends meet for buying the cheap food in plastic packaging, when that’s all they can eat. Many of these things many many people don’t have a choice BUT to buy, BUT to use, the providers of these things have been cutting costs and getting gigantic profit margins from doing so for years, when they had the privilege of not thinking of climate change. It’s so much easier if they changed things than getting millions of people, with different backgrounds and struggles to just take shorter showers and get metal straws

[Economy 52,842]

Just now, dynamite said:

Yes, we buy their products. Which are absolutely everywhere. These products came before anyone was aware they were bad. And now our towns, villages, cities and entire society is centred around shops which all sell these products. Even the market stalls here overuse plastic. What am I supposed to do? Take a taxi to some niche chain that doesn't exist in another village to pick up some potatoes which happen to not be wrapped in plastic?

Ur right. Hence why I said, they have their faults too

 

But the amount ppl consume, amount ppl drive, the types of cars some people buy... thats on the middle class too

 

This carbon tax for example discourages exactly the stuff ur talking about because any petro chemicals or activity that causes carbon would get taxed. Both consumers and companies alike pay it and it discourages unnecessary usage of carbon intensive products

 

Behaviour needs to change both from manufacturers and consumers. It cant be a one way street

 

Also u cant charge corporations without charging average joes as well anyway. The two are completely linked

 

Theres no such thing as charging a corporation without charginf everyday people along with them

[dynamite 66,566]

12 minutes ago, Economy said:

Ur right. Hence why I said, they have their faults too

 

But the amount ppl consume, amount ppl drive, the types of cars some people buy... thats on the middle class too

 

This carbon tax for example discourages exactly the stuff ur talking about because any petro chemicals or activity that causes carbon would get taxed. Both consumers and companies alike pay it and it discourages unnecessary usage of carbon intensive products

 

Behaviour needs to change both from manufacturers and consumers. It cant be a one way street

 

Also u cant charge corporations without charging average joes as well anyway. The two are completely linked

 

Theres no such thing as charging a corporation without charginf everyday people along with them

Oh no I absoutely agree we have to make choices too. It's just made harder for us when it seems the only thing available to buy is bad for the environment. I literally can't think of how I would achieve my weekly shop without any plastic in my city, but I do recycle it all. I don't know if it's without an impact but I hope so. 

Also people who regularly drive walkable distances seems like a very easy thing to stop too. But as long as I exist and make an impact by eating meat and flying I can't say anything to anyone. I am a hypocrite!

I doubt this is viable but I think it would be great if households were given containers for certain products and they were washed and refilled with soap, shampoo etc instead of buying a new one every time. But thinking about all the different companies who sell thousands of different products... How would that be achieved?!

Edit: OMG just saw electric is bad too! I was thinking about how electric cars may become the norm and that would be better... Lord we can't win I thought it was clean energy lol 

[Fingerella 3,170]

Honestly we should make all of the bollionaires our Sugar Daddies and trick them in using their money for Climate Change

I heard if you stream Warm by Charli XCX it would actually make our planet a bit cooler