You are much closer to sleeping on the streets than sleeping in the mansion of a billionaire. And the envious desire to sleep in the mansion of the billionaire is what is destroying our environment. We have allowed the greedy and cruel to dominate and their insatiable greed and cruelty will inevitably lead to environmental destruction. https://gerrymcgovern.com/fairness-and-kindness-are-not-weaknesses/
In summary, the rich—not the poor—are destroying the environment. If you are privileged enough to be reading this then you—like me—are currently part of the problem, not the solution. What’s the solution? A massive reduction in consumption by rich and middle-class people and the establishment of a fair living standard for all within the context of a sustainable environment. https://gerrymcgovern.com/fairness-and-kindness-are-not-weaknesses/
@LaNaehForaday@gerrymcgovern sorry but not everyone can afford to choose their dwelling, let alone having a property.
Likewise not everyone has a margin to decrease their consumption, many barely manage to eat enough.
@LaNaehForaday if you think that half a million dollar is little you live in a different world from mine.
I'll tell my friend from southern Senegal whose family barely eats one meal per day in years when rain is scarce that climate does not give a fuck about his lame excuse that he does not have enough money. He will surely appreciate the wisdom of this comment.
@ng
Dude do the math. Thats less than TEN THOUSAND A YEAR
THAT IS LESS THAN ONE THOUSAND PER MONTH.
I live in the USA. If you are comparing apples to oranges than please go ahead and bitch about how me making $250 a week makes me rich..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................fuqoff
@LaNaehForaday The point is that not everyone has margin to decrease their consumption or to choose where to live, simply because they don't reach the social foundation of the so called doughnut model.
Despite your efforts you are still part of the 12% wealthiest of the world, this is not a personal but a structural issue.
Those who actually can choose are not "everyone", they are by far a minority and we should not pretend otherwise.
Actually the point is; YOU, like 98% of the world ARE ALL TALK AND NO ACTION
And you blame your own inaction on others. And you put people down that are doing what you are telling others they need to do AND YOU STILL DO NOTHING YOURSELF BUT TALK DOWN TO PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTING.
@LaNaehForaday make as many baseless accusations as you like about people you know nothing about.
There's no point continuing this discussion, I have been patient enough and have more useful things to do.
Do something yourself OR STOP COMPLAINING and certainly quit putting people down that are doing more than you. Now go be patient somewhere else. I never asked you to be a dick to me to start with.
@LaNaehForaday@gerrymcgovern
You are also part of the problem, like me and all of us here. Your driving alone eats up about half of your carbon budget. Adds to that some extras (like the device you are posting from) and your contribution ends up being far from infinitesimal, if you don't overshoot your carbon budget entirely.
Please discourage me more.
Please tell me how everything Ive done equals an utter faillure.
Please dont forget to mention what I am doing wrong and rub in the fact that Im not perfect. Please rant and rave about all the things you see that I am not doing and make sure you put me down for trying to do it...BECAUSE THAT THE EXCUSE EVERYONE USES SO THEY DONT HAVE TO ACT.
@LaNaehForaday@gerrymcgovern
Defeatism is about as dangerous as over-confidence; people who consider they have done enough and don't want to make any more effort because "the others" should do it.
I am not a defeatist. I don't say we should stop trying. You clearly shouldn't, and same for me. But we should also be true, realise that what we do is most probably not enough, and challenge ourselves to go further if possible, no matter how far we think we have gone.
@ronang
Pontificate away. It IS what you do. You are the same as the vast majority of people who talk and tell everyone else what to do, what they are doing wrong and how wrong they are doing it yet DO NOTHING YOURSELF but complain. I am the one you should be lauding. Im the one you should be patting on the back. Im the one actively participating in the event you are ONLY talking about.
You may think you are doing all you can but what you just did to me was put me down for being active. AND THIS IS WHY WE CANT HAVE NICE THINGS.
Because everyone has snark against other people INSTEAD OF ENCOURAGEMENT.
Keep snarking because YOU are actually part of the problem where I AM NOT.
@ronang And again, when you point your finger at someone else there are three pointing back to you.................
And it is the point. You criticize people that do not act AND you criticize people that do act, yet you are not willing to discuss what you yourself are doing.
I perfectly received your point, you just dont like that I called you out. Im not squabbling at all. I am ACTING and DOING something about the problem, and you are complaining that I am. Do something yourself instead of complaining that others dont do enough.
@gerrymcgovern And Kate Raworth's #DoughnutEconomics provides an excellent framework for thinking about how we to move toward that goal. I strongly recommend it.
Bill Gates belches 7,500 tons of CO2 per year, while Roman Abramovich belches 32,000 tons. Billionaires are Machiavellian, psychopathic, and narcissistic, according to psychological research. They are malevolent self-promoters, emotionally cold, nonstop liars and highly aggressive. They love private jets, whose sales reached their highest ever level ever in 2023. Private jets numbers have more than doubled in two decades. https://gerrymcgovern.com/fairness-and-kindness-are-not-weaknesses/
Global energy consumption is almost three times higher than the energy that would be required to meet basic needs for all. Separating the energy of frivolous wants from the energy of genuine need is what we must do. Are we going to drive two-ton SUVs to the apocalypse, while smoking vapes and making TikTok videos? The super-rich global 1% consume as much energy as would provide a decent living to 1.7 billion. https://gerrymcgovern.com/fairness-and-kindness-are-not-weaknesses/
The poorest 50% of people cause only 12% of CO2 but will experience 75% of relative income loss due to climate change, while owning just 2% of world wealth. Meanwhile, the top 10% belch 48% of total CO2, own 76% of everything, and will experience only 3% of relative income loss due to the destruction they cause. Why are we allowing the greedy and cruel destroy our environment? https://gerrymcgovern.com/fairness-and-kindness-are-not-weaknesses/
An average person living in sub-Saharan Africa emits about 0.6 tons of CO2 per year, while an average person living in the USA emits 14.5 tons. In order to prevent more than 1.5°C of global heating, our average emissions should be no greater than two tons of CO2 per person per year. Just 1% of the world’s population earns more than $58,000 per year, while an annual salary of $19,300 makes you part of the global richest 10%. https://gerrymcgovern.com/fairness-and-kindness-are-not-weaknesses/
The top 1% elite pocket two-thirds of all new wealth. If the richest 10% of the world were forced to cut their CO2 levels to that of the European Union mean level, a 32% reduction in global CO2 emissions could be achieved. The average resident of Mali has the same carbon footprint as a British kettle, while the average resident of Nigeria has the same carbon footprint as a US fridge. https://gerrymcgovern.com/fairness-and-kindness-are-not-weaknesses/
Billionaires are responsible for a million times more greenhouse gas emissions than the average person. Twenty Big Tech companies rule the world, while every year, 125 ultra-wealthy individuals generate the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of 85 million cars. 77 million people are responsible for more climate-changing emissions than the poorest five billion, while the ultra-elites are emitting 77 times more CO2 than is compatible with a 1.5°C warming limit. https://gerrymcgovern.com/fairness-and-kindness-are-not-weaknesses/
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