posted in Asklemmy
What's something that 15 years ago looked like it would be a problem in the future, but didn't turn out to be?
Replying to @SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml
Climate change. We all thought we were gonna have to cut back on consumption, use less fossil fuels, and change our infrastructure entirely to renewable energy.
Thankfully it’s not a problem anymore at all. Our wise leaders just decided to stop talking about it and instead just decided we’d speed the process up, burn fossil fuels for glorified chat bots while draining our fresh water resources.
Thankfully it’s not a problem anymore. Because a problem would imply it’s something that has a solution. We’re far past that point. We’re essentially watching this generation of humanity committing a mass global genocide of the upcoming generations.
Problem solved.
Replying to @wheezy@lemmy.ml
Climate change. We all thought we were gonna have to cut back on consumption, use less fossil fuels, and change our infrastructure entirely to renewable energy.
I feel like we were expecting this because we were expecting someone to be our parent and force us to make the changes, when in fact nobody is externally forcing us to stay on a safe climate path, and we are stuck waiting for our own societal self-discipline.
Replying to @SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml
In general, yes, the western world was under the false assumption that the leaders it had were, at the very least, aligned in the interest of self preservation. Many are still living with this false belief today.
I think it’s less about societal self discipline though; and more about the incompatibility of the societal hierarchy with working to solve the problem of climate change. The contradictions between the ruling and working class are in conflict when it comes to the priority of climate change. Climate change is an opportunity for further wealth concentration for the ruling class of our society; and that same ruling class has “drank their own Koolaid” in the idea of American and Western exceptionalism.
Capitalism is incapable of addressing the problems of climate change. It’s like trying to put out a fire and bringing a bulldozer instead of a firetruck.