Can COP help save the planet?

I tried answering that question last year. Although I decided the answer was no, it can’t save the planet — nor can any single climate conference, for that matter — climate summits are important, because they push the needle forward …

  • neanderthal@lemmy.world
    3·
    7 months ago

    Possibly, but not because of what is accomplished there. If anything it will be the optics of holding it in a place where fossil fuels is literally half of their economy and it being run by a fossil fuel executive.

    This shows we can’t rely on governments and corporations to fix it for the benefit of humanity.

    Costs for renewables is going down. Support for ending car dependency and reducing meat consumption is growing.

    Recent data shows that the majority of humans want to do something.

    What does all this mean? In places where we can make a difference, it means YOU and I need to get to work. Be broken record on social media. Influence decision makers at work (greener is cheaper in many cases, so not a hard sell), become active in local politics where you have a better chance to influence things.

    Here is the thing, the more we reduce the demand for oil, the less power and influence they have, so the easier it gets to make progress.

    We don’t need a savior, we need an army of regular people all doing their parts. The larger the army grows, the more it will be socially unacceptable to drive a canyonero and other harmful activities.