Comment by mikeash
8 years ago
To me, this sounds like “if you’re not down in steerage baling water out of the sinking Titanic, you’re not seriously concerned about it sinking.”
It won’t make any detectable difference if I go 100% solar and vegetarian, or if I spend all my disposable income on gasoline that I burn in amusing ways.
Collective action is the only thing that matters for this. If you go all-in on a low carbon lifestyle for yourself, and your friend nudges government policy towards something that reduces emissions, your friend has done far more to mitigate climate change than you have.
But if you can't show that "100% solar & vegetarian" is a viable & desirable choice, you're not going to convince others to. Imposition under threat of police action will only invoke shifting bad choices, strain economy, and inspire malice.
As I recall from the time, the rise of the SUV came from imposition of emissions limits on cars, which didn't cover trucks so the spacious & fumes-spewing "enclosed car-styled truck" was inspired. Did that help emissions in the long run? Here in the southern USA, 2/3rds of vehicles aren't emissions-efficient sedans.