[WastingMyTime89]

The issue with environmentalism is that we are all the victims of multi decades PR campaigns crafted to deflect people attention from what’s really polluting towards meaningless things.

People are angry their neighbours don’t properly sort their trash while recycling is a shame. Meanwhile planned obsolescence is prevalent.

Making people feel guilty about their very small impact prevent them looking at the real culprits: electricity production, oil companies, global manufacturing and shipping and construction.

[gruez]

>People are angry their neighbours don’t properly sort their trash while recycling is a shame. Meanwhile planned obsolescence is prevalent.

Is this seriously an issue compared to trash in general? Sure, people bitch about how it's impossible to repair their iphones or macbooks, but even if you had to replace them every other year, the amount of trash they generate in relation to everything else is absolutely minuscule.

>It’s a conscientious strategy. Making people feel guilty about their very small impact prevent them looking at the real culprits: electricity production

But every kilowatt that you don't consume is a kilowatt that's not being generated by the electric grid. In that sense your actions have a direct impact on greenhouse emissions. Sure, you unplugging your electronics isn't going to single-handedly stop global warming, but that's because no one is single-handedly causing global warming either.

Also, you can literally buy a PV system for your house which would cut your emissions to zero.

>oil companies

see above, also electric cars.

>global manufacturing and shipping and construction

Well the goods you buy has to be manufactured somewhere, so presumably you're against the shipping rather than the manufacturing aspect. However, this source[1] says that shipping is responsible for 2.5% of global emissions, which isn't very significant.

[1] https://www.ukri.org/news/shipping-industry-reduces-carbon-e...

[WastingMyTime89]

> Is this seriously an issue compared to trash in general?

No it’s not an issue that’s my point. What people sort is rarely recycled anyway. That’s why it’s a shame.

> But every kilowatt that you don't consume is a kilowatt that's not being generated by the electric grid.

Yes but what individual consumes is far less relevant than how this electricity is produced especially when you compare domestic consumption to industrial consumption. It’s far more impactful to lobby for the end of coal power plants than switch off your electronic.

> see above, also electric cars.

Yes, it’s finally coming quite slowly but for decades oil was heavily subsidised.

> Well the goods you buy has to be manufactured somewhere, so presumably you're against the shipping rather than the manufacturing aspect.

I’m not against anything. There are huge gain to be made in both shipping and manufacturing. Investments are far too low because they are not mandated.

That’s my point. The most significant gains are at an institutional or corporate level. Most of the debate surrounding individual behaviour is a distraction.