I think we’ve gotten to the point where we need to understand that people are lazy, and that voluntary initiatives aren’t going to “save the planet”. Environmentalists need to a) focus less on the public and more on govt policy b) consider that maybe technology to adapt to change is more realistic at this point than stopping the change and c) focus on the highest bang for buck tradeoffs, like short haul flights and animal agriculture.
I have my own stretch of Adopt-a-Highway, and I’ve been thinking that fining the source of the litter could be a way to force change and spur innovation. Like every piece of Taco Bell packaging I have to pick out of the ditch costs Yum! Brands $5.
I like the idea of fining the source, though obv it would need to be a bit more elaborate. For example, fining only non-biodegradable packaging. Ultimately though, some consumer behavior needs to change - fashion, for example, is something that people are so hooked onto that it’s hard to get people to change. Meat is hard because most people run away screaming when someone says “vegan”. Flights are hard because the follow up question is bound to be “where’s the train”… and there is no train. All of those things are policy based. I think France has some good ideas with banning short haul flights and taxing meat, but even they have a long way to go.
Littering is more acceptable to more people these days. Oh, and also fascism.
I think we’ve gotten to the point where we need to understand that people are lazy, and that voluntary initiatives aren’t going to “save the planet”. Environmentalists need to a) focus less on the public and more on govt policy b) consider that maybe technology to adapt to change is more realistic at this point than stopping the change and c) focus on the highest bang for buck tradeoffs, like short haul flights and animal agriculture.
I have my own stretch of Adopt-a-Highway, and I’ve been thinking that fining the source of the litter could be a way to force change and spur innovation. Like every piece of Taco Bell packaging I have to pick out of the ditch costs Yum! Brands $5.
I like the idea of fining the source, though obv it would need to be a bit more elaborate. For example, fining only non-biodegradable packaging. Ultimately though, some consumer behavior needs to change - fashion, for example, is something that people are so hooked onto that it’s hard to get people to change. Meat is hard because most people run away screaming when someone says “vegan”. Flights are hard because the follow up question is bound to be “where’s the train”… and there is no train. All of those things are policy based. I think France has some good ideas with banning short haul flights and taxing meat, but even they have a long way to go.
Yeah, my scheme is riddled with holes and admittedly not well thought through.