Post by HumanSanity on Oct 9, 2019 17:05:18 GMT -5
Hey all!
I wanted to share some thoughts I've been turning over in my head for a while regarding climate change and our ability as individuals to effect change to it.
Sure, if all governments got together, invested in green infrastructure, curtailed and regulated carbon emissions, etc., then that may make a dent in climate change's catastrophic effects on human civilization. However, that's not what I'm interested in discussing. I'm interested in discussing whether there is a moral obligation on individuals to take small steps to mitigate/limit climate change based on their personal behavior and if so how that obligation manifests itself.
I ask this question in response to frequent calls all over news, media, my Facebook feed, advertising on walls, etc. to reduce my personal impact through recycling, through reusable containers, through carpooling, etc. I feel like all of these could be admirable things - and if universalized could make some kind of meaningful impact - but it's hard to justify the idea that I should go out of my way to - say - use reusable containers when that is unlikely to effect climate change in any way. As a premise I accept that people are self-interested and looking to maximize their personal utility - and while it would be one thing to agree to limit my personal utility if I believed it affected the broader good in a meaningful way, it seems really hard to justify limiting my personal utility when my sacrifice is unlikely to have any positive effect whatsoever.
However, I wanted to ask others. Do you agree with me that since individually focused climate activism is really just trying to convince us of an "illusion of control" over an external force that we lack any capacity to control? Or do you disagree that we can't make a difference? Or do you disagree that we shouldn't make small sacrifices even if we're uncertain about their broader effect?
Interested in any and all thoughts that others may have!
I wanted to share some thoughts I've been turning over in my head for a while regarding climate change and our ability as individuals to effect change to it.
Sure, if all governments got together, invested in green infrastructure, curtailed and regulated carbon emissions, etc., then that may make a dent in climate change's catastrophic effects on human civilization. However, that's not what I'm interested in discussing. I'm interested in discussing whether there is a moral obligation on individuals to take small steps to mitigate/limit climate change based on their personal behavior and if so how that obligation manifests itself.
I ask this question in response to frequent calls all over news, media, my Facebook feed, advertising on walls, etc. to reduce my personal impact through recycling, through reusable containers, through carpooling, etc. I feel like all of these could be admirable things - and if universalized could make some kind of meaningful impact - but it's hard to justify the idea that I should go out of my way to - say - use reusable containers when that is unlikely to effect climate change in any way. As a premise I accept that people are self-interested and looking to maximize their personal utility - and while it would be one thing to agree to limit my personal utility if I believed it affected the broader good in a meaningful way, it seems really hard to justify limiting my personal utility when my sacrifice is unlikely to have any positive effect whatsoever.
However, I wanted to ask others. Do you agree with me that since individually focused climate activism is really just trying to convince us of an "illusion of control" over an external force that we lack any capacity to control? Or do you disagree that we can't make a difference? Or do you disagree that we shouldn't make small sacrifices even if we're uncertain about their broader effect?
Interested in any and all thoughts that others may have!
