We are racing down a mountain at full throttle. Our children are in the back seat. The speedometer is buried. The road curves sharply ahead. On the outside of the curve is a cliff with a 200 meter drop. On the other side is a vertical rock wall.

Here are some ideas I came up with to help push people into taking action. Sure we need systemic changes like ending car dependent cities and heavily reducing fossil fuel usage. Doing nothing is smashing through the guard rail and off the cliff. Doing one is slowing enough to MAYBE survive crashing into the mountain. Doing both is slowing down enough to navigate the curve.

There are some things we CAN do.

  1. Start spreading the word on social media for unofficial things like moo-less Monday. Don’t eat beef on Mondays. Weather Wednesday, where you adjust or turn off your HVAC. This could be a whole other thread.

  2. Start getting louder and louder. Remember, we need to both act AND influence enough people for systemic changes.

  3. Consume less. Be as efficient with resources as possible. There tons of things you can do here that are minimal effort and barely noticeable.

  4. Political action. Vote. Run if you are able. Contact politicians at all levels. Talk with people about things that have benefits beyond just climate. E.g. transit reduces traffic.

  5. Stay strong. Don’t succumb to doomerism.

  • endlessbeard@lemmy.mlEnglish
    11·
    1 year ago

    Everything you’ve suggested is equivalent to re-arranging the deck chairs on the titanic. Climate change is not driven by individual action and can’t be solved by individuals changing their consumption habits. Over 70% of greenhouse gasses are produced by less than 100 companies, companies that have lobbied for public subsidies, socialized their losses with bailouts, outlawed or bought out any competition, laid waste to our countries natural resources, ripped up efficient public transit and infrastructure, and suppressed any change to their fossil fuel monopoly. Changing our course on climate change will mean taking back control from a powerful and entrenched class of people and corporations who control all the legal means you think can be used to hold them accountable.