[epistasis]

This is not a personal responsibility problem, it's a societal priority problem.

Living "virtuously" only changes your own impact. We need to change impact globally.

We need to make jets that run on biofuels or synthetic fuels. We need to change our energy systems to be carbon neutral. We need to help the developing start using carbon neutral technologies directly, without going through a fossil fuel phase.

These are the things that will stop climate change. Changing one's own impact does very little.

[PakG1]

We need to make jets that run on biofuels or synthetic fuels.

That's an issue of sustainability, not climate change. Those subjects are related but not interchangeable. I don't have the latest data, but I do recall various biofuels having a greater carbon impact than various fossil fuels a few years ago. If the situation has changed, great. But we need to remember that sustainable resources and climate friendly resources are not necessarily the same thing.

[tossaway33]

be the change you want to see in the world

[mozumder]

Yah that doesn't work.

What works is "force others to change".

We're not going to solve global warming without forcing everyone to change. It's not a personal problem, and in fact, you can have small-scale cases of large carbon footprint.

It's not a problem if Leonardo DiCaprio is flying a private jet. It's only a problem if a lot of people are flying private jets.

[bdamm]

Everyone could fly private jets if we had a carbon neutral cycle to manufacture and fuel them.

[epistasis]

The reason that works is that it shows others what is possible and what it is like, eventually converting others around you.

In the case of climate change, austerity living may actually be counterproductive towards convincing others.

The change we need in the world is both technology and attitude.

[dbdr]

If austerity means living a miserable life, you have a point. But it is also possible to lower our environmental impact AND life a more happy life, because consuming does not actually makes us happy, while spending less can give us more resources (time and money) for doing meaningful things of our lives.