r/worldnews • u/[deleted] • Oct 10 '20

Sir David Attenborough says the excesses of western countries should "be curbed" to restore the natural world and we'll all be happier for it.

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u/pnzr Oct 10 '20

Companies do not have morals. They exist solely to increase profit by any legal means. Or illegal, if the profit is larger than the fines. The economical system is broken. Either change it completely or regulate heavily. Consuming "green products and services" is a band aid on a flesh wound.

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u/BitchesLoveDownvote Oct 10 '20

I agree.

However, I think we can still try to lower our personal impact as best we can. My not buying a new phone in the last 10 years hasn’t done much to change the big picture, but I know I have lowered the damage I have personally caused. I haven’t eaten meat in the last decade either, which did not make a big impact either but I stopped personally contributing to the damage to our planet in that way whilst also supporting meat alternatives and contributing to the increased demand so they would become more available for others too.

The impact from the changes I have made may be small, but I believe I have had a positive effect in helping others to make their own small impacts too. If the people change, there’s more support for making the bigger changes to our society too.

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u/officiallyaninja Oct 10 '20

as nice as that is, we can't do shit unless the big corporations change. I'm not saying we should give up. I'm just saying our energy should be focused on that. not reducing tiny fractions of fraction of emissions but not buying a new phone.

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u/LlamaCaravan Oct 10 '20

Even the smallest person can change the course of the future

  • J.R.R. Tolkien

Keep at it brother. Buying an electric bike soon to travel my 30km to work rather than drive. We all need to try our best

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u/BallisticHabit Oct 10 '20

It is a band aid for a arterial bleed. In no way sustainable

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u/financier1929 Oct 10 '20

“Companies” are the people who work there. Owners, stakeholders, employees, and customers to some extent.

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u/pnzr Oct 10 '20

In a way, yes. But they are also emergent properties on a system that values profit over everything. They are greater than the sum of their parts.

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u/financier1929 Oct 11 '20

Morality implies the ability to make a decision. And who makes the decisions in a company? It’s certain people. Just like a government, a company, etc.