I write a lot of trivial stuff on Steemit, but I think it's also a good platform for serious topics. This post was inspired by this one by my friend @voxxov. He's a musician, but also a physchology professor and so a thoughtful chap. This marks his return to Steemit after a break of eight months! Please show him some support.
A mix of nature and man made to decorate my post. Photo by me.
He writes about how governments are stalling on doing what is necessary to preserve a livable planet due to commercial pressures. Of course we need food, jobs and transport, but we also need air we can breathe, water we can drink and soil that can sustain plants. We also need nature more than it needs us. Humankind seems intent on wiping our every other species for short-term gain and we can't get them back once they are gone.
I'll put up my hand and accept some of the blame. I'm doing several flights across Europe over the next few months and I do feel guilty about that. I'll try to not do any for a while after this batch. It's slightly compensated by me not driving 300 miles a week now I can get the train to work. There's still more I can do and I'm looking at the options.
We can all make our own little contributions to making a better world, but it does need action at a higher level to make a big difference. Things we can each do include:
- Eat less/no meat. See my previous post.
- Drive less and/or move to a more efficient car. I know we all have essential journeys, but reductions are possible.
- Recycle. This should be a given, but it's still not happening as much as it should in many countries. The UK has some issues here and it needs government action.
- Buy less stuff. Companies produce stuff because there is demand. If we buy less then maybe they will have to close some factories. Then governments need to find alternatives to employ people. I don't have easy answers for that, but there's a lot of work to be done in fixing environmental damage and installing sustainable technology.
- Consume less power. Drop the heating a degree, use natural ventilation instead of A/C, switch off unnecessary lights. Lots of potential savings there.
On our recent visit to Italy I saw some good progress there. Sorrento had a comprehensive household recycling scheme and supermarkets had biodegradable bags. A charge for single use bags in UK supermarkets resulted in a massive cut in their use and there's progress on plastic straws and other stuff. Single use plastics are convenient, but an environmental nightmare.
I know I haven't answered the question in the title yet. @chaomos commented on the linked article to say he wonders if we can do anything to prevent a climate disaster. It's certainly not going to be easy. We have to make massive changes to prevent that, despite what 'sceptics' say. Just check out what vested interests they have. 'Business as usual' cannot continue. Billions want a better life, but the minority rich world is using up the resources before they get a chance.
As with the meat issue I just ask that people stop and think about the consequence of what they do. We in the rich world as cosseted in our nice houses and have endless good food available. It seems impossible this could end, but it's all too probable.
I think we need to be scared and not get distracted by politicians who try to make us think other things are more of a threat. We only have one planet and it's sick.
I'm well aware that the USA had some elections today and the current leader is intent on undoing environmental protections for business reasons. I hope the people show him his way is not so great.
Go in peace.
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Thanks for the intro, buddy. Great to see a couple of suggestions too. I'll be writing a piece shortly on complexity of the challenge shortly, and will link back here. :) Good to see the tags your using too.
I expect some more thoughtful posts from you. Quite happy to get some music and art too. We need something to keep our spirits up.
What it all comes down to is energy. There are those who currently have a monopoly on energy supply and they want to keep it that.
It's sad when we see people going thirsty for energy when most of this planet is bathed in limitless solar energy everyday.
Think about how much power it takes to heat a room from 10 to 25 degrees C. That's how much energy the sun provides, not just to heat up one room, but whole continents.
When the most valuable company on the planet is working on how to remove your headphone jack from their newest shiniest phone, we know capitalism does not align with what we need for this planet to survive and prosper.
Luckily, we have crypto currency, where the value comes from those that opt-in to a community. It will be a combination of great technology and human communities, that will see the most amazing decentralised movements like we have never seen before. It may take a few years or a few decades, but there is hope and if you're using the steem blockchain, you're already at the cutting edge.
Enjoy the ride and don't lose hope!
@kabir88
Monopolies are a problem. That's where governments need to step in and control them. Politicians should be serving those who vote for them rather than those with the money. We have to somehow show them that. Voting them out is one way. With things like the Apple phones people should take a stand and not buy them. Nobody needs an iPhone, but they fall for the marketing.
Crypto does give us some possibilities, but I could get into the damage mining it does. At least Steem doesn't use that much energy.
BTW Please don't upvote your own comments. Let others choose what it is worth. I know you need votes to boost your rep, but I would have voted anyway.
Unfortunately, no one seems to have the courage to tackle the political funding issue. I think some form of public funding mixed with strictly controlled voter direct contributions is the answer. No one should be allowed to donate more than £1,000 in a year to a political party. This would mean political parties would be forced to look for a broader number of funding sources and not be beholden to one or two large donors.
I think the reports of emissions from crypto mining of crypto is overblown based on my research. Whether it's miners or a 100,000 people sitting at a bank HQ, I think bitcoin is probably more green as a money source than traditional banks. I expect the vast majority of the newer Cryptos to be proof of stake, like steem.
Self vote was for visibility, have had people complain about not seeing my comments. Hopefully won't be an issue soon!
I don't have much of a comment on this being from the US. Unfortunately executive orders have become the norm and are trumping(pun intended) the will of the people.
The people need to speak out. Have to fight for a better future, but not with violence
Great points all around! I am fully sold on the plant-based lifestyle for so many reasons, and I've really worked hard this year to focus on consuming foods predominantly grown in my state to help my environmental impact even more. I've also shifted my perspective on my consumption of other goods, as well. I got out and voted today here in the Southern USA, so I can only hope that makes a difference in this crucial election. Thanks for keeping the conversation going on this because it really is damn important!
Good for you. It looks like the vote had a good effect, but we have to keep up the pressure.
Until big business gets on board with the issues of Global Warming, I feel like we are running in quick sand. This does not deter me from doing all I can, but it is disheartening. Around two years ago I thought to myself, what the hell am I doing. Where I live there is no garbage or recycling pick-up service. All trash and recyclable material has to be taken to the county dump site by the homeowners. If you only have a little trash you put it into dumpsters that they have for you as you pull in. If you have a large amount of trash they direct you to an area where the city waste in trucked in and dumped directly into the landfill. That day I had a truck full of garbage and was directed to go directly to the landfill area to off load the garbage. Previously I had just taken the recycles I had and placed them in the right bins. While I was in the landfill area with the big boys, a Tandem tractor pulled in and raised its dump body. to my complete surprise there was nothing but plastic and glass bottles pouring out. I had to scratch my head, as they had just disposed of more recycles than I would use in a life time!
We need some mix of carrot and stick to encourage better habits.
Yes we do need to feel scared as I feel it is already too late.
I saw a documentary a few years ago on the use of fossil fuels and how they are killing our planet - oceans included.
The research showed that it would be possible to try and reverse things if the mining stopped immediately - as I said this was aa few years ago, and if not stopped, the result would be a ripple effect of death on the planet.
We can all do our bit, but I am afraid that when it comes to big money driven companies, it is much to late.
Good list of possible actions to take! Lowering meat consumption right now!Great post, and great introduction for @voxxov! 😉
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That's a good move. I'm happy he came back after so long, but we do keep contact elsewhere.
Good points and tips! Hear hear!
Such a huge topic. I'm 60 years old and we have been working at this since i was in first grade in elementary school 54 years ago collecting newspapers and aluminum for recycling. Every step of the way was fought back against by "them"?!? Here's just one thought about air conditioning. In the South Western U.S, six months of the year or more the temperatures are 90 to 115 degrees. This is an insane heat that is miserable at best and fatal at worst to older people and anyone sick. Doing without is not an option that most anyone would want to face. Dialing back to 95 degrees or 100? Solar and wind power could make a huge difference but... Yeah... but. I really don't even want to hit post on this because of the non stop backlash i get every time i engage on this topic. This is the insanity we face all over the world
I've been involved in recycling and stuff for decades too. I know some locations have extreme weather, but enforcing better building design reduces the need for cooling and solar should be a natural if you get that much sun. I hear about some authorities actively discouraging people from having their own solar and that's just wrong.
I don't know all the details but yes it's complicated and expensive for homeowners to go solar and impossible for renters. My Local University, Long Beach State has put up some large panels over much of the parking lot areas and it's really great. It's what needs to get done... but only for people who are thinking about the big picture and actually living in the future. I live in a really "strange" area. There's oil wells all around me on land, oil drilling platforms in the ocean and one of the worlds busiest ports all within a few square miles. The amount money flowing around in relation to this is mind boggling. There are no projects to utilize wind or solar here at all. Fact is most people probably don't want it or understand how it would be good for them and their kids. I apologize for this... it's pretty upsetting and i just barely touched the tip of a massive iceberg of shit and left out what might possibly happen that will make things much worse than they are presently
Great points made Steve . Although individual efforts are a great way of contributing to solving the problem , i'm afraid we need to get rid of capitalism first before it takes us to the edge of the cliff. . Especially in the last decade there is a growing concern that we may pass the ecological point of no return . Capitalism has been ultimately exposed as a system that is inherently destructive for human beings as well as all of life on Earth . As such , the speed of destruction is far greater than attempts to recover the damage . I'm afraid we need more urgent solution ... Thanks for writing about this matter as i think it is of crucial value for the future of mankind . I've been thinking about writing on this topic too , but for some silly reason i thought i might come across as preachy . But the word needs to get out there , so i definitely will write about it here on Steemit .
All the best !
I'm all for freedom and democracy, but rampant capitalism is unsustainable. They seem to think you can have infinite 'growth'. There have to be controls or we are all doomed. The market serves itself.
Great points made Steve . Although individual efforts are a great way of contributing to solving the problem , i'm afraid we need to get rid of capitalism first before it takes us to the edge of the cliff. . Especially in the last decade there is a growing concern that we may pass the ecological point of no return . Capitalism has been ultimately exposed as a system that is inherently destructive for human beings as well as all of life on Earth . As such , the speed of destruction is far greater than attempts to recover the damage . I'm afraid we need more urgent solution ... Thanks for writing about this matter as i think it is of crucial value for the future of mankind . I've been thinking about writing on this topic too , but for some silly reason i thought i might come across as preachy . But the word needs to get out there , so i definitely will write about it here on Steemit .
All the best !