this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2026
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[–] DudleyMason@lemmy.ml 19 points 1 day ago (4 children)

The real "low hanging fruit to not do" is blaming individual choices for societal issues. Capitalism is the one and only reason for anthropogenic climate change. Ending capitalism is the one and only way to solve it. There is no individual action you can take that is effective, we have to reorder society in such a way that it is impossible to profit from environmental destruction.

[–] gandalf_der_13te@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

the only real solution to climate change is renewable energy, and solar energy in particular. capitalism or no capitalism basically doesn't matter.

[–] DudleyMason@lemmy.ml 0 points 15 hours ago

Except for the part where capitalism is actively sabotaging the transition to renewables, because fossil fuels areore profitable, so it really does matter.

[–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca -1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I have difficulty accepting that corporations did this and therefore we should all keep going with the status quo. Although an individual’s choices don’t amount to enough in and of themselves, the choices of masses of individuals drive the consumer market. The more disposable shit we buy, the more disposable shit corporations make.

We as a society have normalized be everyone individually owning 17 appliances that are used 0-2 times per year, having 53 outfits made by overseas slave labour, and accumulating gigabyte after gigabyte of data that must be managed. And if you tell someone this, they will say it’s all necessary - what the pandemic taught me is the degree to which people cannot identify the difference between essential services and non-essential, as everything becomes justifiable based on niche situations and the blanket defense of mental health.

If we all forever point the finger and say that someone else is actually responsible, and therefore we refuse to make changes, then nobody is ever going to get started. Much like on a national scale how the US simultaneously blames climate change on China and India (“we shouldn’t bother doing anything, they’re bigger!”) and Canadian forest fires (although by the previous logic, a country with 1/8 the population should be incapable of changing their climate).

[–] DudleyMason@lemmy.ml 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

...this message brought to you by Exxon-Mobil corporation.

[–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 0 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

In what way is my suggestion that people should be environmentally conscious with their choices supporting oil companies?

So we should just sit back and wait for the oil companies to benevolently act on our behalf? Forgive me if I don’t feel like circling the drain without a fight.

[–] DudleyMason@lemmy.ml 0 points 10 hours ago

In what way is my suggestion that people should be environmentally conscious with their choices supporting oil companies?

In the way that it reinforces the oil companies' favorite narrative where individual consumers are responsible for the damage the company does to generate profit for its parasitic shareholders.

So we should just sit back and wait for the oil companies to benevolently act on our behalf?

No, we should be doing things we don't organize in public posts on social media to make the executives and shareholders of those companies absolutely terrified of what will happen if they don't do as we demand.

Forgive me if I don’t feel like circling the drain without a fight.

Funny, that's exactly what your first comment shows is the only thing you're willing to do.

[–] 7101334@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Like 3/5 things that poster mentioned were not individual choices. The 2/5 that are individual choices are real issues. It is an issue, not just societally but also environmentally and in terms of public health, that the world is polluted by plastic because people wanted momentary convenience. Capitalism has to end and it incentivizes those choices of convenience, but people are still simultaneously responsible for making those choices unless they have no alternative... in which case it's not really a choice.

[–] Eheran@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Human nature is the reason. Regardless of the system we live in. People want more, better, etc. and feel important/strong/rich/... It has always been like that. Heck, even monkeys display such things.

[–] Rothe@piefed.social 1 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

Nah, that is the conservative talking point in favour of the status quo. History shows that humans are perfectly capable of being social creatures cooperating for mutual benefits.

That a handful of psychopaths are our current rulers aren't necessarily descriptive of our general species.

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

100 thousand years ago you'd say human nature was to live in small bands and only assemble for seasonal hunts or cultural events. Anything else would be perpetual war.

10000 years ago you would be saying that it's against human nature to be sedentary or do repetitive work so agriculture is ultimately only a hobby at best.

4000 years ago you'd say it's human nature to live in city states ruled by tyrant warrior-kings and dedicate your life to cereal farming.

Maybe human nature isn't some well characterised and stiff thing? humans have lived in more ways than you can dream of.