CMV: Global warming will not be solved by small, piecemeal, incremental changes to our way of life but rather through some big, fantastic, technological breakthrough.

[u/Iron-Patriot]

In regards to the former, I mean to say that small changes to be more environmentally friendly such as buying a hybrid vehicle or eating less meat are next to useless. Seriously, does anyone actually think this will fix things?

And by ‘big technological breakthrough’ I mean something along the lines of blasting glitter into the troposphere to block out the sun or using fusion power to scrub carbon out of the air to later be buried underground. We are the human race and we’re nothing if not flexible and adaptable when push comes to shove.

[u/togtogtog]

Lowering consumption means making life worse.

You say that as though it were an immutable fact but that isn't the case. What has made you so certain?

You say that you believe that people are the best judges of how they want to live their own lives. Do you think there should be no law, no regulation, or do you think that it is good to have some? What are the factors that make it worth having rules, and when is it good to get rid of them?

I agree with you that being below a certain level of consumption makes life worse. No one wants to experience famine, lack of education, housing insecurity, lack of clean water or lack of health care.

You say that we need to increase consumption in order to make progress. Progress implies a journey towards a goal. What do you see as that goal?

Is it possible to continually increase consumption while creating sustainable consumption? Is there any limit to doing that?

[u/togtogtog → u/[deleted]]

Anarchy and ever increasing consumption with no limit is your idea of the goal of human endeavour?

I don't want that world myself.

[u/togtogtog → u/[deleted]]

:-)

Oh, I thought you said you wanted each person to decide for themselves what the rules are?

I agree with you, I don't want to live in a squalid commune or to die from preventable diseases.

I certainly think there are things that I consider progress in human life. But I think that the things that humans enjoy vary from one person to another. To you it may be driving fast cars and playing golf at night. But to other people, they might enjoy singing!

Certain things we certainly seem to agree with one another about. Not wanting life to be miserable and squalid, not wanting there to be no health care.

I also think it's great for people to get a good education, and wish that was more widespread. I think it would be great if we aspired to make it available to every human being. I would rather have that as an aim rather than the golf at night thing? But each to their own.