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by WastingMyTime89 1250 days ago
I’m not sure I agree with this take.

What we are starting to meaningfully see, at least in Europe, is regulations which actually have teeth regarding where investments go and what companies can do regarding emissions and sustainability.

It means some things are going to either get more expensive or downright disappear but I wouldn’t call that a significant curb on freedom.

It’s more akin to not being able to use lead in plumbing than living under an authoritarian regime. Sure there will be less meat on the menu but, well, c’est la vie.

1 comments

Hard disagree. We are well beyond the point where farting around on the edges of consumer behaviour can ever make a dent in reversing climate change.

Blaming consumers buys into the big emitters disinformation campaigns. Its not our fault.

The big emitters need to be curbed hard and fast. Our governments so far have been unwilling, complicit or unable to do so.

Its going to require a mass, popular movement to shut down coal mining worldwide, to restrict air travel, to localise food production and reinvigorate ground based mass transit. Nobody can make that happen as individuals at the checkout.

I don’t really see how that’s a hard disagree.

European regulations are not oriented towards consumers nor are they “farting around”.

These are far reaching regulations on investments. They impact literally everything. It’s going to be hard to do something if you can’t get money to do it.

But these are not hard choices or libertarian hell. That’s just a bit more regulations.

Sure, mining coal won’t be profitable anymore, people won’t be able to buy diesel cars and both flying and meat will become more expensive. It’s definitely a shift in how people live and probably a downgrade in some aspect regarding quality of life. But it’s a relatively painless one.