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Big oil quietly walks back on climate pledges as global heat records tumble
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2023
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It's a cultural problem that we don't care to fix.
Remember, big oil doesn't exist in a vacuum. We survived without fossil fuels for most of human history, and many people still do. But we, as a culture, have decided that burning them at this level is appropriate.
It's about keeping up with the Jones'. Until we stop doing that, don't expect any of these problems to go away.
We already discussed the peak of oil and climate change since the 1970s and knew we needed to change before the shit hit the fan.
I agree it's an issue that we constructed and socially adapted as we can survive without fossil fuels. However, in our current situation, we cannot move away from it. I don't mean from an Industrial or scientific perspective.
The working and middle classes cannot survive and maintain their livelihood standards without fossils. We need to help and support them do the change. Electric cars, sustainable heating systems, and overall non-fossil alternatives need to be cheaper and politically supported to make change something possible for them.
We need to tax and make big oil accountable for their past behavior, invest in more sustainable solutions, and create transformational programs supporting workers and the middle class to take a step towards change.
Their loss of income and prosperity is more crucial than taxing the rich 1% more. Otherwise, cultural change, as you describe it, won't happen.
This is what's meant by 'unsustainability.'