• DarkThoughts@fedia.io
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    4 months ago

    Individuals could do a lot, like voting for green candidates for starters, or stop flying, stop driving cars, stop their meat & dairy consumption, stop their excessive overconsumption of goods (throwing away perfectly fine things to replace them with the newest shit), etc. etc.

    Everyone loves pointing fingers to politicians or companies, but you could go into politics, you could vote for politicians who want to change things, you are the one those companies produce their shit for.

    Real climate action would affect you all on an individual level, and that’s something you all do not actually want. So you all shove the issue away, not for future you but future generations that won’t even have a choice in the matter anymore.

    If you want to feel bad about people buying expensive beach front houses, then you do you. But we’ve been warned about this for literally decades now, about half a century for real precise warnings - even longer for the potential repercussions of blasting greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

    • FireRetardant@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      To stop driving cars, our governments or private companies have to build alternatives like high speed rail, trams, safe bike lanes and walkable places. Many of us still have to get to our jobs reliably.

      • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
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        4 months ago

        You commuting to your job via car is already a consequence of you deciding to use a car in the first place. You wouldn’t have accepted a job too far away unless you were using a car, or you would’ve decided to move closer to that job location. The majority of car owners also said in polls that they would not use public transport, even if it was free. And again, if people wanted governments to actually build out public transportation, bike infrastructure and more walkable neighborhoods, then they’d actually vote for those type of politicians who want that too. What we see is the literal opposite to that effect though and you’re doing the exact same finger pointing I was talking about.

        • FireRetardant@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          I was damn near broke when I moved to my apartment. I had to change cities due to rent prices. I found a central location in the new city but after 8 months of job searching the only hit I got was in a rural area just outside the city. I am very good at this job and the owner respects me so its currently my best employment oppourtunity. I am expected to be on call at times so I cannot rely on the bus service to the rural location. I carpool with another employee when the schedule allows.

          Things aren’t as easy to switch as you make it seem. Many of us are forced to drive because that is the world that was built for us. I manage to walk most places I need to in the city and even downtown pedestrians are barely considered in the design of the street. If I must drive somewhere I save those trips for days I’m already commuting.

          • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
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            4 months ago

            Cool story. Maybe there would be more jobs available locally, if people from neighboring places wouldn’t all commute to your place and vice versa.

            • FireRetardant@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              I’m trying to relocate closer. Rent is higher near my work so it is easier to save here then buy something closer to work.

              It is not people’s fault they are reliant on the infrastructure provided or constrained by their field of work/desired salary. The main hwy into the town is packed one way each rush hour. A tram, local rail, or high frequency BRT could help fix that, but theres just a slow, unreliable low frequency bus or drive. Those are the only options.

              Some people also must balance their living situations between their family memebers and their workplaces/salaries. It is easier to provide people better options to get around than it is to expect people not to travel.

    • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      But even if they and their country do everything right, the rest of world may (isn’t) and it’s going to be more or less the same anyways.

      • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
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        4 months ago

        Nice hypothetical, but there’s not a single industrialized country that is doing that, and it’s not even close.