Tommy Siegel | Bluesky | website
Transcript
Comic in 4 Panels:
Header: It’s That Easy!
Panel 1: The year is 1994. A dad with short black hair, in a blue shirt, red shorts, and white sneakers with calf high white socks, kneels with one arm resting on a knee and the other raised demonstratingly in front of a kid in a green ball cap, yellow shirt, blue pants, and green sneakers. There is a round metal trash can behind them.
Dad: Pick up your litter and save the Earth!
Panel 2: The year is 2004. Same dad, but in brown cargo shorts, brown shoes, and ankle high white socks speaking to the same kid. There is a green recycle bucket behind them.
Dad: Recycle and you can save the Earth!
Panel 3: The year is 2014. Same dad, but wearing a bike helmet, black athletic pants, and black sneakers to the same kid. A bike is behind them.
Dad: Reduce your carbon footprint and you can save the Earth!
Panel 4: The year is 2024. Same dad, but he’s in the same outfit from panel 1. There is a massive fire behind them.
Dad: Completely restructure global economic systems and you may be able to save a remnant of humanity!
I want regulation to bound what companies can do, such that “the cheapest thing” is not harmful. We can’t and shouldn’t expect the population to take on such gargantuan task as figuring out its own personal carbon footprint. That’s insane, but has been normalized since for ever, thus we do.
We need a carbon tax, and we need to get people on board with a carbon tax. Which we can campaign for at the same time as campaigning for individuals to make what choices they can do.
Flying less, cycling more, eating less meat, buying less, delaying replacement of things, making replacements greener - these are all things everyone can and should do, now, while the world drags its feet on making emissions cost money.
Personally I don't think that encouraging people to think about their carbon footprint absolves companies at all and despite the popularity online of this line of thinking, I have never once seen evidence that it was devised by companies to do that. I think instead it helps foster a shared purpose, which will ultimately help generate the consensus needed to resist wealth.
If you look through the other comments you'll see numerous people patronisingly imply that I can't think straight about this because I've just swallowed the propaganda, yet mysteriously the "propaganda" hasn't actually managed to get me to think that companies' actions are OK.