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The pandemic handed us all a super easy win on doing something about climate change by forcing a large chunk of us to (temporarily, it seems) stop sitting in our cars twice a day. Instant reduction in the amount of CO2 we're producing. It's not 100% of the solution, but it's not nothing, and a year in, most of us had adapted just fine (I'd argue, most who could WFH, prospered, seeing a lot more benefit than negative).
But nah - let's get back in our cars, waste time at the beginning and end of every day, spend more money on coffees and lunch, and breathe in the cubicle goodness because, fuck it - that's the way we've always done it.
Do you know what I learned during the pandemic? CO2 emissions by PEOPLE are a rounding number. The pandemic hit and CO2 barely changed.
It's industry and corporations and farms that output like 80 % of all CO2, yet we're made to believe it's "on us" to make a change.
It's the same with recycling, it's pushed like we're saving the planet recycling some bottles while a paper plant will pollute the equivalent of 200,000 homes...
You are totally right, industry is the big polluter, but I think it's important to also realize: what we consume drives industry to produce polluting goods, the only reason they pollute is to produce stuff to sell us, if we want them to stop polluting, "part" of the solution is to stop buying their stuff.
There is some truth to that, but you also need to be reminded that companies will look at profit before they look at environmental impact.
Yes, producing goods pollutes, but it could pollute way less if they changed the way they produce.
But corporations won't do that because it cuts into their profit.
So it is much cheaper to blame the consumers for wanting products.
(Products they try to convince you to buy through marketing I might add)
Yep. Energy saving light globes only save you money, they do insignificance against the climate emergency
Do you have figures for that?
If something consumes 8w of power rather than 60w that's a 52w energy reduction.
According to this site 1kw produces 0.94kg of CO2 if a coal power station is used. https://slightlyunconventional.com/co2-per-kwh-of-electricity/
What percentage of power comes from coal globally varies massively, but let's say 30% average as it's probably more https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-electricity-coal
Around 7.5 billion lightbulbs are sold in the USA alone. https://lightbulbatoz.com/articles/how-many-light-bulbs-are-sold-each-year/
So let's make a conservative estimate of 30 billion new bulbs per year globally.
Gives a global annual reduction in co2 out put directly from lighting at 1kw÷54÷0.94kg×3000000000÷1000÷30%= about 17 metric killotone.
Shit yeah, drop in the ocean. That's cumulative though, so 17 last year, 17 this year, 17 next year.
Also led bulbs should last a minimum of 12 times longer than incandescent, so unless they use more than 12 times the co2 to produce there's going significant savings there.
Big numbers, but tiny in comparison to transport, which itself is small compared to industry
As I said at the actual calculation, it was shockingly small. The biggest part of the savings would come from the bulbs lasting at least 12 times longer (thus less embedded emissions from production and transportation).
Valid, but let's not move the goal posts; new light bulbs were specifically questioned and, thanks to someone's willingness to do some research and number crunching, light bulbs were specifically answered.
Let's at least give thanks before we vault off to the next, existentially exhausting, item on the list of climate change issues.
It's not like we don't have time. Right xuys? Right?
Keep in mind also that the energy you save was previously heating your house. so depending on where you live, how you heat your house and how well your house is isolated you could be saving close to nothing
I think to be honest that would very much be cancelled out by the fact it heats your house. So depending on where you live you may need to use power to apply additional cooling to remove that heat.
Cubicle? Laughs in open plan..
Anyways, seeing as we proved without a doubt that I can do my job from home, any time spent on a forced commute I now consider company time.
I drive into an on-site location a few times a year at most and I 100% consider any time traveling as work time.
Also fixing rent by not making it necessary to live in the same city you work in giving everyone more choices
Hell, you don't even have to live in the same COUNTRY! My brother teaches "at" a school in Greenland from his apartment in Denmark, only going to Greenland (flight paid by the school, of course) a couple months a year.
Great job, podperson! This is the type of go get 'em attitude that executive management will accept. You deserve a reward. How about a below-inflation salary bump this year?
That's so generous of you. However, HR recommends holding a pizza party and a meeting to congratulate workers that further wastes their time, off the clock, of course, instead of offering a pay bump.
don't forget about the ping pong table!
But I already got my below-inflation salary bump, and a couple weeks ago I got a "kudos" in our staff meeting. Can....... I get another below-inflation salary bump?
How can petty tyrants exert power over their subordinates if everyone is working from home??
Being yelled at through a screen just doesn't hit that hard
"Oh hey Bob Wageslave, I see your tasks on Redmine are falling behind your coworkers. Gotta keep up. By the way, I've just opened another 4 tasks that I need for tomorrow. Oh, and don't forget to report them properly, everything needs to be orderly and you have to post your progress as it goes"
and pants!
who the fuck needs pants? so overrated....
And also making US more dependable on oil.