Since last July, Earth’s average temperature has been at least 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels.
As global temperatures spiked to their highest levels in recorded history on Monday, ambulances were screaming through the streets of Tokyo, carrying scores of people who had collapsed amid an unrelenting heat wave. A monster typhoonwas emerging from the scorching waters of the Pacific Ocean, which were several degrees warmer than normal. Thousands of vacationers fled the idyllic mountain town of Jasper, Canada ahead of a fast-moving wall of wildfire flames.
By the end of the week — which saw the four hottest days ever observed by scientists — dozens had been killed in the raging floodwaters and massive mudslides triggered by Typhoon Gaemi. Half of Jasper was reduced to ash. And about 3.6 billion people around the planet had endured temperatures that would have been exceedingly rare in a world without burning fossil fuels and other human activities, according to an analysis by scientists at the group Climate Central.
These extraordinary global temperatures marked the culmination of an unprecedented global hot streak that has stunned even researchers who spent their whole careers studying climate change.
This is all a red herring. Our SUV’s, stupid as they may be, are statistically barely relevant compared to effects of corporate greed and pollution on the rest of us. Point the blame where it belongs: at the ruling class for having the knowledge and means to have avoided all of this, but chose not to.
You always see this opinion on reddit and lemmy that corporate greed is the root of all evil in a vacuum.
It feels good cause it removes any guilt from the individual, but at the end of the day corporation provides good and service to the society. If people stopped using AI, eating meat, wanting SUV etc, corporation would turn to others products.
The corporations would probably bribe the government to subsidize AI, meat (more than they already are), and SUV manufacturers.
That is only the illusion of choice. If tomorrow I went full off the grid and before I left I told everyone to do the same, nothing would happen. Nothing would change. The lever pullers have the power to force change and they refuse to. One person can be conscious enough to speak out and they have (see Greta) but with individuals who have no choice but to participate for survival they are not the problem.
In case of politicians, they represent the interest of the people, as the people elects them. If suddenly everyone went off grid to force change they would feel more inclined to make changes in this direction.
Of course they would lag a bit behind so you would see it immediately but they notice the trends.
If suddenly the issue that would sway swing state was climate change (because everyone suddenly show they care in their consumption habits), every politician would promise greener policies.
I agree that this choice implies that one is free to take the greener products, while in reality only the richest are free to choose.
I’m telling you we have made our interests clear. Short of everyone waking up tomorrow ready to change their entire life style there isn’t anything else the individual can do. We are speaking out. We are limiting our consumption. We are asking for green policies. The climate won’t wait for unification. In order for individuals to act as one they need catalyst and if climate change is already here then it’s already too late.