
Originally Posted by
Newish Pie
Quote Originally Posted by slack_pie View Post
It's the 'whatever actions' part that worries me. What if governments announce sweeping changes to our way of life? What if we're no longer allowed to use personal cars, or if certain products are rationed or banned (like meat, for example). What if you have to ask for permission to fly somewhere? What if non-compliance means you don't get access to basic public services? Where's the line?
These are all good questions and valid concerns. How the burden of trying to leave within our means is shared is a difficult question, and if we're not very careful, the richest who've benefited most from unsustainable practices will continue largely as before, and the burden will fall on the poorest, both within each country and globally. We do need to eat less meat, and we do need to fly less.
But there's loads we can do on those issues before we even need to think about bans and compulsions... we don't need everyone to go vegan, we need people to try to eat less and better meat. More chicken, less beef. Small changes. Veggie food is miles better than it used to be. I eat less meat than I used to. Small changes. We can reduce the environmental cost of flying through more and better rail travel, and reduce unnecessary business travel for meetings that can now take place remotely.
These are issues that need to be discussed, debated, and decided. But if we don't take more action, climate change and the knock-on effects of climate change will simply impose sweeping changes to our way of life, and has started to do so already. It would be a mistake to think that we can just decide that such decisions are too difficult to take or to face, and that if we ignore it, it'll all just go away.
If it's a totalitarian government people are worried about, it's not obvious to me why that's more likely in a country that tries to prepare for and mitigate climate change compared to one that just ignores it and has to face worse consequences unprepared. People are right to feat totalitarian governments, but people should also fear anarchy... societal breakdown, failed states, chaos... whether in this country or in others. We've already seen the price of failed states.