51–60 of 130 posts
I'd still rather have prosperity
What about the people that suffer the consequences but that do not have prosperity? What about the people that come after you? I think this cartoon sums it up quite aptly: https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a16995
I'd still rather have prosperity
A question for you - are you one of the relatively few people on Earth who actually gets a part of that prosperity? Like, access to electricity on demand, enough food to eat, clean water to drink, health care, the whole deal? Cause there are a lot of people who don't get to have prosperity and still are seeing the effects of your choices. In fact, many of them are even more impacted by the harmful effects of the choi…
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Although humanity sucks for centuries, we could make the argument, that the 20th century was the century where there was more done for the environment than in the last millennia. Many species that were considered displaced or even extinct have returned to their natural habitat and reclaimed their native land. Science and education showed us the right way forward, making cities way cleaner than ever before. I do not k…
Also there is more forest than before.
There's no two ways about it: economic growth means more ecological damage. Technology will not save us. IMO the only way to mitigate the onslaught of climate change is to do a controlled contraction of the world economy. If we do not do this willingly, nature will force it upon us.
Many cultures have thrived with complementary values of personal growth, responsibility, sustainability, meaning. purpose, and resilience. Those values reinforce each other just as much and lead to health and happiness just as much, with the added benefit of not destroying Earth's ability to sustain life and society.
Many people defend the former way for creating more material wealth, which they erroneously believe necessary for health and longevity. It also creates craving and addiction, not such great happiness.
The HN community is like Robert Moses and his engineers before Jane Jacobs, thinking building just one more highway will relieve all this traffic, not realizing their would-be solutions are creating bigger problems. I'll suffer the downvotes too, hoping at least a few will reconsider their devotion to a destructive culture anyone can see is making Earth unlivable, even if we happen to be living at peak extraction, enjoying the last of the abundance. We can switch cultures. Humans have done it before.
Crapping on nature isn't new for our species. As an example consider how we deforested Europe over the last five centuries, or drove boney whale species to the brink of extinction. The difference this time (with severe climate change) is that actually might upset our way of life. Maybe it's a lesson we need to learn.
Don't care enough about Geology? Here is a Volcano for you. Now people can see your remains for 20 Euros. You had a life too good and you were too self important to bother to pay attention to those who are not having the best life? Here is a guillotine for you. You were too obsessed with inner politics to care about what's going on in outside of your walled garden? Here is an invasion for you. You made a revolution with no idea how to proceed afterwards? Enjoy your life in your commie blocks when hiding from the mafia. You thought the steel was the only produce that people need? Enjoy being unemployed in a very polluted place.
Not paying attention to the nature or obsessing with politics can definitely bring societies down and the old continent is full with examples of it. It happened many times before, can happen again but this time in huge scale.
I'd still rather have prosperity
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I have already started doing it: less travel, less dining out (or take out), and generally spending less money. More work is to be done on household energy consumption and water consumption, but that's coming.
The most impactful thing you could do is refrain from reproducing, but that's generally not a popular suggestion.
I mean, one of the interesting changes that's soon happening is the transition from ICE to electric cars. I think the core issue is the concept of cars themselves . Storing them all over the road (they are everywhere!), people using them for very short journeys, their accessibility/cheapness to practically anyone and how much our society relies on them each and every day, even at the cost of the beloved hedgehogs whi…
All technological revolutions require more energy and consumption. Remember that the infinite source of societal wealth is technological progress. If you limit technological progress then economics becomes zero sum. This cannot happen, it is a precursor to endless world wars and our inevitable doom by our own hands. Prosperity vs nature is not a question. There is no path backwards, there is only forward. The only ho…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What about the people that suffer the consequences but that do not have prosperity? What about the people that come after you? I think this cartoon sums it up quite aptly: https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a16995
I don't care. I know this will get downvoted, but it is the most popular position—most people simply don't care. I don't, either.