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1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

theguardian.com

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Re: 1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

#21

Post by rgbrenner »

Retric wrote: post #10
nimish wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's defeatist. Small changes are not the only things that matter but saying "everything or nothing" is not helpful. The collective change that's needed to effect change begins with individual steps, like not taking a private plane when commercial will do.

I can’t think of a single case in human history where indiduals acting alone made a real difference in widespread issues like climate change. So suggesting it starts with individual steps seems wildly inaccurate.

Someone has to go first. If not you, then who? Everything starts with someone going first.

And your actions do have an effect: by providing an example to others, making it more likely they too will participate; and economic, by reducing the income generated from the activity.

Re: 1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

#22

Post by hfourm »

makerofspoons wrote: post #7
nimish wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's defeatist. Small changes are not the only things that matter but saying "everything or nothing" is not helpful. The collective change that's needed to effect change begins with individual steps, like not taking a private plane when commercial will do.

Or even better- not flying at all and attending the conference virtually. Climate conferences and talks so frequently are held in resort towns- it should not be a getaway. Reserve some conference rooms and have everyone dial in! We have the technology.

boom dis rite here

Re: 1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

#23

Post by jakobegger »

I don't feel that articles like that contribute to the discussion in a meaningful way. Sure it's fun to point out that politicians are all hypocrits, but it doesn't help anybody at all.

There are two possibilities:

a) Private Jets are an important source of pollution. Then we should complain about private jets all the time, not just when we want to smear the people who use them to travel to climate talks.

b) Or private Jets are not really that much of an issue on a global scale, and we should focus on whatever is actually discussed at Davos, rather than complain about how people get there.

The article makes no effort to quantify, or put into relation, the actual impact of people travelling with private jets, so I really don't see what it brings to the table, except triggering a bit of outrage here and there.

Re: 1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

#24

Post by Synaesthesia »

rhcom2 wrote: post #18

Also: "Just 90 companies caused two-thirds of man-made global warming emissions" https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/20/90-compa... Individual behavior obviously matters but it's a drop in the bucket compared to corporate polluters.

We need systemic change because there’s demand for what these companies are producing. For example there can be subsidies, or at least an end to oil subsidies!

Re: 1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

#25

Post by _red »

makerofspoons wrote: post #12

The solution should include a carbon tax or fee to make such behavior uneconomical. Could Switzerland impose a carbon fee upon landing a private aircraft at a Swiss airport?

Only the lower-class believe that "carbon taxes" are intended to stop global warming.

Everyone above that, certainly in the Davos Private Equity set, understand its just a chance to create a supranational currency using something other than income taxes/bonds as its credit/debit method.

Its silly to suggest Switzerland do something like that: Why make it more difficult for this to happen?

Re: 1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

#26

Post by throw564d »

jakobegger wrote: post #23

I don't feel that articles like that contribute to the discussion in a meaningful way. Sure it's fun to point out that politicians are all hypocrits, but it doesn't help anybody at all. There are two possibilities: a) Private Jets are an important source of pollution. Then we should complain about private jets all the time, not just when we want to smear the people who use them to travel to climate talks. b) Or priva…

Until the elites change, why should we?

Re: 1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

#27

Post by jellicle »

I guess we're going to do this every year now.

Like last year: if the politicians gathered at this conference agree and do anything - literally anything at all - to combat climate change that they wouldn't have done otherwise, the effect of their plane flights will be dwarfed by whatever thing, no matter how tiny, they agreed to do.

"Leaders working on world hunger problem ate lunch, exacerbating problem"

"Leaders working on global clean water drank three pitchers of water"

"President says we need to reduce CO2 emissions, but attended Boy Scout Jamboree where marshmallows were toasted"

All of this is "I am very intelligent" territory. https://thenib.com/mister-gotcha

Re: 1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

#28

Post by ForHackernews »

throw564d wrote: post #26
jakobegger wrote: post #23

I don't feel that articles like that contribute to the discussion in a meaningful way. Sure it's fun to point out that politicians are all hypocrits, but it doesn't help anybody at all. There are two possibilities: a) Private Jets are an important source of pollution. Then we should complain about private jets all the time, not just when we want to smear the people who use them to travel to climate talks. b) Or priva…

Until the elites change, why should we?

Because you want your to avoid your grandchildren starving to death in a famine or being killed in the water wars of 2075?

Re: 1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

#29

Post by ceejayoz »

mudil wrote: post #11

Al Gore and Leonardo Di Caprio fly private jets all the time. Not sometimes, but always and very often. This is equivalent of Mahatma Gandhi driving among the people in the Rolls Royce to deliver his message!

1. No, it's not.

2. "Vintage Rolls Royce which seated Mahatma Gandhi and Queen of England fetches $705,300" http://luxurylaunches.com/transport/vintage_rolls_royce_whic...

Re: 1500 Private Jets Fly to Davos for Climate Talks

#30

Post by coryrc »

mattlondon wrote: post #13
DougN7 wrote: post #2

This is such a beautiful example. We all want change, but giving up modern conveniences is so hard. We might mock the people and their private planes but I don’t doubt someone would mock me for my cars, central air conditioning, etc.

I thought to myself: "Someone who cared could probably have got a train from most of Europe to Davos!" Then I thought about the sort of people that go to these things, and how long the train takes. They're oh so terribly important (sarcasm), that they simply cannot afford the time lost by traveling in anything other than a jet. And that I think is the problem - from the Davos-attendee right down to you and I with our…

Or if they were stuck with us, they'd work on better options being made available on the train.
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