this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2023
649 points (93.6% liked)

World News

39019 readers
2218 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

In short, we aren't on track to an apocalyptic extinction, and the new head is concerned that rhetoric that we are is making people apathetic and paralyzes them from making beneficial actions.

He makes it clear too that this doesn't mean things are perfectly fine. The world is becoming and will be more dangerous with respect to climate. We're going to still have serious problems to deal with. The problems just aren't insurmountable and extinction level.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Athena5898@kbin.social 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)

oh look people in the comments who are missing the fucking point. I'm honestly so sick of this shit. You either have rainbows and unicorns and "we'll just figure it out"/climate deniers to "WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH" apathetic fucks who won't do shit* because "what's the point we are all doomed anyway" which...causes the same problem as denying does.

honestly i've delt with more people who refuse to change anything because "what's the point" than I deal with outright deniers anymore.

*not sure if anyone in the comments is an apathetic "do nothing though tbf and honest. So there is my disclaimer don't @ me.

[–] Holodeck_Moriarty@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I see this all the time on social media, and it's frustrating. I don't want to dampen anyone's passion for combating climate change (because I agree!), but it's like a feedback loop for rhetoric that gets more and more extreme.

Something that starts out as:

"There was a wildfire in _____. This could be part of a larger trend related to climate change."

Turns into:

"This fire was caused directly by climate change."

Turns into:

"The world is on fire! Take shelter!"

Turns into:

"Don't plan for the future. Don't have children. Move somewhere cold and start prepping for the apocalypse."

You can literally watch this same process happen with every issue that gets traction on social media or cable news. Then one side looks at the most extreme comments from the other side and easily dismisses the whole thing.

[–] drphungky@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I literally had a convo with two friends this weekend about how they won't have kids because they think it's irresponsible to raise them in a world "that might not exist when they're adults". The doomsaying and hyperbole is absolutely real.

[–] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What worries me about that thinking is that historically children have been the big reason for people to care about the future and what they'll leave behind.

[–] Angry_Maple@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, but you can also still care about doing that without having children. I hope that this doesn't follow those trends.

People can also love nature, animals, history, the arts, and lots of other things. They might want other people to still be able to enjoy the things that they love in the future. I would still care regardless of if I have kids or not, personally.

[–] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Of course, yeah. I'm just thinking of the average person.

[–] mrnotoriousman@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

I personally don't want kids, and while that may be a bit of hyperbole, kids being born now are going to be living in a vastly different world 35+ years from now. I think people denying the impacts and going "eh, we'll figure it out" are worse than the doomers.

[–] Holodeck_Moriarty@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This isn't uncommon now, and it's sad. Social media algorithms pushing doom and gloom for clicks are scaring people out of living their lives.

The whole thing feels very similar to how Fox News scares old people for viewers, except maybe less intentional.

[–] Athena5898@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

as my friend says "Despair is a commodity, don't buy into it"

[–] penguin@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ok, sure. Please tell me what I can do that will actually make a difference other than having it be a major influence in the way I vote?

This is a problem that only governments can solve and voting is the only way average people can hope to really influence them.

One person recycling or driving an EV makes no difference to the entire planet.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

Didn't you answer your own question? You can advocate, you can organize, you can lobby. By pretending these things don't give you power, you strip away your own power.

The point is to sway the government's actions through public opinion. One can argue how effective these tactics are, but doing absolutely nothing will surely accomplish absolutely nothing.