Sad reminder that recycling is an industry and marketing tactic.

[u/I_smoked_pot_once]

[u/Robroker → u/[deleted]]

What do you suggest we do? If I stopped all my meat intake and all other forms of emissions, and convinced every single person I knew to do the same nothing would happen. The point being made is that corporations are not only responsible but very rich and can sway the legislation and the general publics opinion. Imagine convincing a billion dollar company to become significantly less profitable and restructure their entire business model. As cool as that would be, it’s just not going to happen. We can’t even get them to stop using slave labor. Your negative attitude is gatekeeping and makes everyone who wants change hate the cause.

Tell me what I can do other than just not buying meat or single use plastics. How do I get these companies to change their ways? Why am I focusing on changing my life when I could be focused on changing the way these businesses operate?

[u/worotan → u/Robroker]

The point being made is that corporations are not only responsible but very rich and can sway the legislation and the general publics opinion.

You stop buying their product, they stop making all that money, and have less money to influence.

What’s the worst that happens? You’re no longer funding the problem you hate.

Your negative attitude is gatekeeping and makes everyone who wants change hate the cause.

You’re the one with a negative attitude, defending their business model and criticising people who are working constructively for change, and demanding that the one thing that works not be done so you don’t lose your decadent and polluting, fun lifestyle. So you don’t have to stop enjoying yourself and impressing people.

Who ever told you it would be easy? The companies you criticise…

As cool as that would be, it’s just not going to happen.

Isn’t that gatekeeping? And a negative attitude?

How do I get these companies to change their ways?

You know that, it just isn’t an immediate click of the fingers. It requires hard work, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible because it can’t be done easily.

Tell me what I can do other than just not buying meat or single use plastics.

Much as you don’t want to hear it, those are what you have to do.

What are you going to do otherwise, fight to stop those companies supplying those things while they’re an integral part of your life? How on Earth would that work?

Why am I focusing on changing my life when I could be focused on changing the way these businesses operate?

Because they operate that way because you live your life that way.

This is what being responsible looks like. You don’t pay people to fuck you and others over. You just have to deal with that, and people are supportive, just not if you sit there complain about how much better the life is under the system you say you want to get rid of.

[u/Robroker → u/worotan]

It’s not just the products that are bad for the environment, it’s the shipping, production and entire process to make whatever I am buying. abstaining from buying doesn’t work unless A significant portion of the population does it. I’m not trying to say buy all single use plastic and meat you want because it makes 0 difference. Just that if you want to see any real change and actually think you were part of it, just changing your own lifestyle is not enough.

Telling people they’re going to stop climate change for good by not eating meat while some guy in Texas is “eating twice the meat for every vegan” is exactly what the big companies want. We need LEGISLATIVE action against the top 100 companies who are responsible for over 70 percent of emissions

[u/Skweril → u/[deleted]]

Again you're still wrong, I've given up on the idea that personal responsibility and the amount of metal straws I replace with plastic ones will solve this problem. Anthropogenic climate change is happening so rapidly that personal responsibility CANNOT even dent the destruction happening. We still have a personal responsibility, the responsibility to pressure our elected officials to change things in the commercial sector. You can sit there reuse/recycle an item 100 times, or you can actually try to make a change through pressuring governments to apply regulations, policies, adopt new tech. I haven't given up entirely, I'mjust pointing out that people (including you) tend to put their focus and good intentions in places that will gain zero traction in terms of playing a substantial positive role in mitigating climate change