‘What if there just is no solution?’ How we are all in denial about the climate crisis
‘What if there just is no solution?’ How we are all in denial about the climate crisis
In his new book, Tad DeLay suggests there is no rosy roadmap to go forward – but there are things we can do
cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/10713443
For denial doesn’t only amount to rejecting the evidence, he argues – it also consists of denying our role in the climate crisis; absolving ourselves through “carbon offsets, hybrid cars, local purchases, recycling”. And in this, far more of us are implicated.
In some ways, this argument might not seem all that new. Multiple authors have pointed out that green capitalism, not rightwing deniers of the crisis, is our greatest obstacle to properly confronting the problem. DeLay agrees. The difference is the lens he brings to it – using psychoanalysis to explain the mechanisms behind denial.
It's terrifying how this type of denialism supports a fascist response when in actuality we need collective action. Collective action is in the individual self interest.
Just shows you the power of money and corruption...the ones that stifle intelligence, ban books and learning, force religion in schools are literally trying to harm the planet for profit. Words and petitions won't save anyone this time around. They took it too far.
There are solutions, they just threaten the profits of the 100 or so top polluter companies and the majority of politicians are bought out by those companies. The author kind of continues the old trope that this is somehow the responsibility of every day people to solve through their individual actions. While individual action and less consumption does help, it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the effect of the industries themselves. If we want to mitigate the effects of climate change that has always been the most efficient way to go about it; forcing industries to change, even if it costs them.
The biggest issue though is, if the world solved that political issue, China is still dumping a third of the world's greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and are still building more coal plants at a record pace. They are fixated on their geopolitical and imperial goals, scaling back to focus on domestic necessity just isn't a possibility for Xi.
There are solutions
Such as?
I just laid them out; regulating the most destructive industries and forcing them to stop releasing greenhouse gasses, same way we force them to stop dumping mercury in estuaries or how we stop them from destroying national parks etc.
Climate change is not going to get solved by people buying local and making their clothes out of hemp. The responsibility for sweeping change lies with the government ultimately to get industries in line.
It's like blaming someone who uses AC during a record heat wave when our grid itself isn't using green sources. You fix the power source that the AC draws from and you fix the AC. It's the same across many industries, dumping the decision-making onto average people at the end of the line is super inefficient.
As the effects of the crisis worsen, DeLay argues, inequality will rise, food prices will increase and police and border budgets will balloon. It will probably be people of colour, migrants, homeless people who will suffer the most, especially because when people see the hurricanes and the fires, they may believe in the climate crisis less, not more; politicians will turn up the barbarism and there will be something – or someone – else to blame.
He's right.
We'll solve it with space capitalism, now with mirror satellites to block 11% of the sunshine (and also use like a giant magnifying glass on the ants of society) we just need more companies able and willing to spin a satellite launcher at 5000mph to help it achieve low earth orbit without using rocket fuel.
That'll show em how capitalism is always the right answer.
we are all in denial about the climate crisis
LOL speak for yourself!
Make money money make money moneyy