I keep saying that it’s not mutually exclusive. We can (and should) be doing both. We should hold their feet to the fire while also changing ourselves.
We do not get a free pass just because they are worse. They cannot distract us so we ignore them.
EVERYONE should make changes. They will require more changes then us. That does not mean we’re off the hook either.
Also, people taking small actions to change themselves will almost certainly lead to them taking much larger actions that are designed to hold these people accountable. If they just don’t think about it because these other people are worse, they probably also won’t think about it when they actually have the power to do something.
A very good point. The more we hold ourselves to a higher standard the more obvious it is that others are not. A big one for me is that I started reducing and recycling plastic film. By me being more aware I’ve noticed companies who just waste a shitload of it, shipping especially, and I try not to buy them anymore. Those who use compostable products usually get my money now.
Also: politicians will only implement hard measures if a big part of the population is already undoubtedly behind them.
They won’t severely limit meat unless a big part is already vegetarian - they won’t ban short range flights unless most people are choosing trains and busses over them already.
They won’t take away space from cars to bikes unless people are already taking their bike and showing the problem to everyone
Sure the whole thing about personal responsibility and the co2 footprint is intended to discourage change - but unless we start a grassroots movement including personal responsibility change won’t happen, too
With capitalism too, those sort of things like shorter hopper flights will just stop if people stop taking them, even just 40% of people taking them now would make them probably stop servicing them because of how narrow their margins are. Like it or not the economy starts with us. We talk about big oil but if we stop taking planes for everything and driving everywhere then the demand goes down. (Sure there is military stuff too but if we made a dent on domestic use I’m pretty happy)
I keep saying that it’s not mutually exclusive. We can (and should) be doing both. We should hold their feet to the fire while also changing ourselves.
We do not get a free pass just because they are worse. They cannot distract us so we ignore them.
EVERYONE should make changes. They will require more changes then us. That does not mean we’re off the hook either.
Also, people taking small actions to change themselves will almost certainly lead to them taking much larger actions that are designed to hold these people accountable. If they just don’t think about it because these other people are worse, they probably also won’t think about it when they actually have the power to do something.
A very good point. The more we hold ourselves to a higher standard the more obvious it is that others are not. A big one for me is that I started reducing and recycling plastic film. By me being more aware I’ve noticed companies who just waste a shitload of it, shipping especially, and I try not to buy them anymore. Those who use compostable products usually get my money now.
Also: politicians will only implement hard measures if a big part of the population is already undoubtedly behind them.
They won’t severely limit meat unless a big part is already vegetarian - they won’t ban short range flights unless most people are choosing trains and busses over them already.
They won’t take away space from cars to bikes unless people are already taking their bike and showing the problem to everyone
Sure the whole thing about personal responsibility and the co2 footprint is intended to discourage change - but unless we start a grassroots movement including personal responsibility change won’t happen, too
With capitalism too, those sort of things like shorter hopper flights will just stop if people stop taking them, even just 40% of people taking them now would make them probably stop servicing them because of how narrow their margins are. Like it or not the economy starts with us. We talk about big oil but if we stop taking planes for everything and driving everywhere then the demand goes down. (Sure there is military stuff too but if we made a dent on domestic use I’m pretty happy)
One of the biggest fake-meat producers in Germany was a very big, purely meat-production company 20 years ago
Now they make more money with replacements than with their meat-production just because people kept buying it.
If enough people vote with their money it totally has an effect