Fiction. There is no help coming.
post
fuuuck what book is this again?
Such a great book, one of my favorites
> peak population before the collapse was 9 billion
> we‘re on track to reach 9 billion in about 10 years
> we’re currently racing to hit reaching various climate tipping points
we’re fucked aren’t we
Tipping points are the new thing to argue about. Now that we've reached the 1.5 C limit that we kept saying we should avoid (used to be 1 C), we'll argue if each tipping point is really a tipping point, or maybe it's a rough area and we'll be okay if it goes over just a bit. It's amazing that we've known scientifically of the danger, from speculation in the 1800s of heating over centuries via all the coal being burned, to the 1950s documentaries how we might be doing damage to the environment, then more and more confirmation as we got better at seeing it, alarms in the 70s and 80s that we need to stop. We might be the stupidest species on the planet.
Most people have very little agency to change things, as even if they spend time and money they don't have on getting their personal impact to zero, and nearly everyone else does the same, it won't make much difference. There are a handful of people with so much money and influence that they could significantly change things, though, but who only care about further enriching themselves. It's only really that handful of people who are behaving stupidly. The majority of people did not actively decide to create a system that gives the most power to the kind of person with that specific personality trait.
A few rich assholes being extra stupid does not absolve anyone that could do better themselves but not doing it. The meat Industrie is one of the worst polluters and people eat fucking steak while waiting for regulation to fix it. Who will regulate something away that everyone does? Show some signals to the politics that you actually mean it
Steak? Maybe hamburger, if you can still afford that regularly. There are plenty of people who have stopped voluntarily for whatever reasons, others who have due to the cost. Not a fan of victim blaming for those who, as the person you replied to said, were born into this mess. Which is honestly most everyone, and few can dig themselves completely out.
But you are right about doing what you can. Everyone should try to change where they can. Most just have limits on that. Meanwhile the wealthy continue, not really caring what we do as those signals don't even get out of the noise. I can preach about doing the right things while also being apathetic about the results. Do it for yourself, not because it will change the world.
The dispossessed is great probably my favorite book actually can't recommend it more.
The Hainish cycle slaps so fuckin hard. God please don't ever let anyone ruin it by trying to adapt any of it to screen. I saw what the younger Miyazaki did to Earthsea.
Kim Stanley Robinson's visions of future liberatory society are great too, Le Guin was his friend and mentor and it shows, but he can't write character very well while she certainly could.
all 22 comments