[TYPE_FASTER]

> I mean things that will actually make a huge difference, not just telling myself I am making a difference by doing little things like not having a car, or re-using and recycling.

I think if we all do more to make a little difference, we'll make a big difference as a group.

I've been making a focused effort to buy food produced locally. Details on how this helps here: https://www.terrapass.com/eat-your-way-to-a-smaller-carbon-f.... Lettuce from across the country costs the same, and isn't as fresh.

We moved for a better quality of life, and part of that was reducing our commute. We were able to cut the commute back from 3hrs a day to about 30min a day per adult, if that. There's a calculator here that can help you figure out the carbon savings: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/household-carbon-footprint-...

When our water heater failed, I did some research and realized the state where we were living at the time would pay for a replacement tankless combined water heater and furnace. That saved us about $4k from the cost of the system, plus it is super efficient so our heating and cooking costs dropped, plus we had endless hot water for showers.

I realized one day it's like working on legacy software: if you look at it as a whole, it looks like a completely intractable problem. But if you start making incremental changes, over time you can change and have an impact.

[anigbrowl]

What you describe is a good way of coping with individual anxiety but doesn't really get us closer to tackling the bigger problem. If this approach was so great, why isn't it working already? I think you're assuming that everyone else is embracing optimality and that everyone else sees the mutual benefit in that. In reality, many people don't care and quite a few find negative outcomes sufficiently profitable that they're willing or even eager to sacrifice your future wellbeing for their benefit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_action_problem#Soci...

[leafboi]

The hard truth is that all the changes you made have little impact. The worst case scenario for species and the environment is pretty much on track to play out. But we don't like the truth do we? I see myself getting voted down for this.