I don’t like this example, because it ignores that normal people take planes, too - sure it’s less frequent, and it’s usually public transport-style as opposed to just being one billionaire and their entourage per plane, but there’s also just a lot more normal people than billionaires. Not to say that the pollution made for billionaires’ personal lifestyles isn’t massive or that rich people’s economic and political activities aren’t the main driver of climate change, but using such an obviously bad example makes it too easy to dismiss the general sentiment of the joke. If every non-billionaire stopped taking plane rides, it would make a difference for climate change - the issue is that rich people do their hardest to make sure that something like that doesn’t happen. At least not until all the non-millionaires are so poor that they can’t afford to travel anymore.
It’s not just plane rides, it’s private jets. If you’re going to Venice, you’re going to have to fly. But every person doesn’t have to take their own individual plane
Yes, that’s bad - so why not use that as an example? It’s about as equivalent as we’re going to get when comparing regular people to billionaires, and it’s still literally 50 times worse (or whatever the actually value is, it’s probably even worse considering that normal people usually share the plane with hundreds of unrelated people while on Bezos’ plane, it’s 100% just him, his “friends” and people who work for him).
A lot of us are trying, making decent sacrifices to reduce our already relatively negligible impacts on the environment. While those with money make significantly more of a negative impact instead of mildly inconveniencing themselves. Sure, refuce your impact, use less plastic, buy less shit. But none of that is really going to matter if people like Bezos are around.
I agree. Which is why the yoghurt cup example is so bad - it’s hardly a personal sacrifice and it’s very obviously low impact compared to vacation planerides. The issue is that things like plane vacations and other polluting consumer goods are actively promoted, and made even worse for the environment just to shave off tenths of percents in profits, by the ultra rich.
The yoghurt cup example is excellent, I would argue, for the same reasons. The yoghurt cup example is the sacrifice of a small amount of time and effort for no gain for yourself - in exchange for a gain for society.
How many of those private jet owners could’ve sacrificed a small amount of time and effort in taking commercial flights in exchange for a massive gain for society’s environmental health?
The issue is that the yoghurt cup is only a tiny sacrifice, but it’s also only a tiny gain (as long as the alternative isn’t ‘just dump it in the river’). I suppose regular people don’t have a lot of opportunities to do a small sacrifice that will actually have a big impact compared to the effort, once they took the hurdle of not being a complete asshole.
I fly at most 2-3 times a year, not privately. I have a feeling that these people are flying significantly more than that. So not only do they pollute more per flight they fly more frequently
Exactly. Think about how many times a year Taylor Swift takes a plane somewhere while on tour. That’s why I can’t fw her. And her music. Her music too.
The system is rigged against the individual. The best choices are mostly the most expensive. The best solutions for climate change are blocked by corporate greed and crippled by national laws. And even if you’re lucky enough to live in a country that allows you to have influence in who governs you, the biggest polluters are dictatorial regimes.
Want to eat healthy? Sure, but pay more. When Covid hit and working from home got popular and air travel much less, there was measurable less smog in big cities. But companies now demand people come back into the office. Because shareholders don’t like workers to have freedom.
I don’t like this example, because it ignores that normal people take planes, too - sure it’s less frequent, and it’s usually public transport-style as opposed to just being one billionaire and their entourage per plane, but there’s also just a lot more normal people than billionaires. Not to say that the pollution made for billionaires’ personal lifestyles isn’t massive or that rich people’s economic and political activities aren’t the main driver of climate change, but using such an obviously bad example makes it too easy to dismiss the general sentiment of the joke. If every non-billionaire stopped taking plane rides, it would make a difference for climate change - the issue is that rich people do their hardest to make sure that something like that doesn’t happen. At least not until all the non-millionaires are so poor that they can’t afford to travel anymore.
It’s not just plane rides, it’s private jets. If you’re going to Venice, you’re going to have to fly. But every person doesn’t have to take their own individual plane
Or, they can take one of the the yachts. Don’t forget about the yachts.
Sure we fly, but they choose to fly with the option that pollutes 50x more per person.
Yes, that’s bad - so why not use that as an example? It’s about as equivalent as we’re going to get when comparing regular people to billionaires, and it’s still literally 50 times worse (or whatever the actually value is, it’s probably even worse considering that normal people usually share the plane with hundreds of unrelated people while on Bezos’ plane, it’s 100% just him, his “friends” and people who work for him).
A lot of us are trying, making decent sacrifices to reduce our already relatively negligible impacts on the environment. While those with money make significantly more of a negative impact instead of mildly inconveniencing themselves. Sure, refuce your impact, use less plastic, buy less shit. But none of that is really going to matter if people like Bezos are around.
I agree. Which is why the yoghurt cup example is so bad - it’s hardly a personal sacrifice and it’s very obviously low impact compared to vacation planerides. The issue is that things like plane vacations and other polluting consumer goods are actively promoted, and made even worse for the environment just to shave off tenths of percents in profits, by the ultra rich.
The yoghurt cup example is excellent, I would argue, for the same reasons. The yoghurt cup example is the sacrifice of a small amount of time and effort for no gain for yourself - in exchange for a gain for society.
How many of those private jet owners could’ve sacrificed a small amount of time and effort in taking commercial flights in exchange for a massive gain for society’s environmental health?
The issue is that the yoghurt cup is only a tiny sacrifice, but it’s also only a tiny gain (as long as the alternative isn’t ‘just dump it in the river’). I suppose regular people don’t have a lot of opportunities to do a small sacrifice that will actually have a big impact compared to the effort, once they took the hurdle of not being a complete asshole.
I fly at most 2-3 times a year, not privately. I have a feeling that these people are flying significantly more than that. So not only do they pollute more per flight they fly more frequently
Exactly. Think about how many times a year Taylor Swift takes a plane somewhere while on tour. That’s why I can’t fw her. And her music. Her music too.
The system is rigged against the individual. The best choices are mostly the most expensive. The best solutions for climate change are blocked by corporate greed and crippled by national laws. And even if you’re lucky enough to live in a country that allows you to have influence in who governs you, the biggest polluters are dictatorial regimes. Want to eat healthy? Sure, but pay more. When Covid hit and working from home got popular and air travel much less, there was measurable less smog in big cities. But companies now demand people come back into the office. Because shareholders don’t like workers to have freedom.