[shoguning]

Most people don't care about climate change. They may say they do but the majority wouldn't do anything if it meant a sacrifice, even a very small one. 68% wouldn't pay even $10 per month [1]. Imagine how few would pay $25, $100, or live in a smaller house.

The people running big companies aren't "nice guys" and that's true in all sectors. But the oil and gas cos are just selling people what they want. If they are evil for selling it then so are the customers for buying it.

[1] https://www.cato.org/blog/68-americans-wouldnt-pay-10-month-...

[kohtatsu]

I'm not convinced this poll is much indication of anything; it's just asking about a weird carbon tax scheme.

> Suppose a proposal was on the ballot next year to add a monthly fee to consumers' monthly electricity bill to combat climate change. If this proposal passes, it would cost your household $____ every month. Would you vote in favor of this monthly fee to combat climate change, or would you vote against this monthly fee?

  $1/month:    57% favor
  $10/month:   28% favor
  $20/month:   30% favor
  $40/month:   23% favor
  $75/month:   15% favor
  $100/month:  16% favor

A more useful question would be: "Would you oppose climate change regulations that had the effect of increasing your energy bills $10/month?"

[bsanr2]

It's a dumb proposition to begin with. Why am I paying extra just so that these companies can implement these changes without dinging profits?

Energy should be a loss-leader for society. It should lose money every year, and then we pay whatever is necessary for them to break even and continue operating. This goes for healthcare, housing, transportation, and education, too. If you want to "innovate" gainfully, pick up a paintbrush. We shouldn't be subsidizing the profits of mature sectors, especially if they're not actually doing anything new and simply doubling down on the behaviors that are leading us to ruin.

[lazulicurio]

Let's just say that I find that survey less than convincing. The wording of the question almost certainly calls to mind bills with tacked-on “convenience” fees that serve to enrich companies more than provide convenience to the consumer. What does “pay $10 extra a month to combat climate change” even mean?

You'd probably get a different response to “Would you switch to an energy company that uses 100% {solar/nuclear/etc.} if it costed ${5/10/etc.} more per month than your current bill”.

[cmehdy]

However, unlike those companies I personally don't have a decent PR budget to shift your perspective in your daily life. I only have my words and my own actions.

I get my information from websites and articles and journals and classes and so on. How much of that was subtly[0] (or not-so-subtly[1]) altered by the investments of the gigantic entities behind energy consortia?

People don't care about climate change because their worldview leads to a conclusion that it isn't that big of a deal, that things are overblown, that people are fear-mongering, etc. It certainly isn't helped by the PR against serious thinking regarding climate issues, such that we have this absurd thing where Exxon is more keenly aware of the issues of climate change decades[2] before the average voter is.

So they aren't "nice guys" indeed. But I'm sorry: they're way worse than that - and they actually know it.

Unlike the average person who might not fully grasp where we're at and what one can do or might be disheartened by the fact that they are but one amongst many, we have people who have been keenly aware of what's to come but can't even begin to contemplate slowing down the growth of their bank accounts for the long-term viability of the ecosystem we live in.

The difference between "most people" and those guys is that "most people" would know better than to fuck things up as actively for their kids if they actually were aware of the situation, and if the effect of the "not so nice guys" PR could be to some extent lifted.

And the way things have been going, we'll definitely need to continue making the information available and attractive to most people so that we can reach a turning point and force those "not-so-nice guys" to seriously pivot instead of continue posturing.

[0] https://below2c.org/2019/11/oil-sector-propaganda-invades-th... and https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504622.2019.1...

[1] https://www.zmescience.com/science/richard-berman-green-radi...

[2] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/exxon-knew-about-...