So sick of hearing that government "inaction" brought about climate change.

[kpete]

[dalton99a]

1. The purpose of most governments is to protect oligarchs from peasants

[orthoclad]

4. Especially the oil-igarchs.

[erronis]

17. I had been calling them oleogarchs.

[LastDemocratInSC]

38. That's an excellent word choice.

[orthoclad]

43. Heh. For synthetic fuels? (grin)

[Effete Snob]

2. No one is willing to take personal responsibility

Fossil fuel companies would have nothing to sell if people didn't buy their products. No one "criminalized" reducing your fossil fuel consumption.

In quite a few countries, governments would not have power if the people in those countries took minimal effort to engage, and did so for a common popular purpose. In the US, for example, most people eligible to vote don't even bother to do so.

So, the election winner in the US, every time, is "I don't give a shit."

People are to blame. Not the governments elected by people or the fossil fuel companies who are selling what people are buying.

I DEMAND THAT SOMEONE ELSE DO SOMETHING TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM!

[jimfields33]

3. Most of the people at fault are dead.

[SalamanderSleeps]

5. Perhaps. but they were replaced by people like these.

The CEOs of the ten biggest oil companies, and their salaries, in the United States are as follows:

1. Exxon Mobil Corporation - Darren W. Woods - His salary exceeds $20,000,000 per year.

2. Chevron Corporation - Michael K. Wirth - His salary exceeds $19,000,000 per year.

3. ConocoPhillips - Ryan M. Lance - His salary exceeds $28,000,000 per year.

4. Occidental Petroleum Corporation - Vicki A. Hollub - Her salary exceeds $15,000,000 per year.

5. Marathon Petroleum Corporation - Michael J. Hennigan - His salary exceeds $7,000,000 per year.

6. Phillips 66 - Greg C. Garland - Michael J. Hennigan - His salary exceeds $21,000,000 per year.

7. Valero Energy Corporation - Joseph W. Gorder - His salary exceeds $22,000,000 per year.

8. Hess Corporation - John B. Hess - His salary exceeds $14,000,000 per year.

9. HollyFrontier Corporation - Timothy Go - His salary exceeds $2,000,000 per year.

10. Pioneer Natural Resources Company - Scott D. Sheffield - His salary exceeds $13,000,000 per year.

= $161,000,000

When you think of it $161,000,000 is a small price to pay for the United States contribution to the destruction of the planet, but I bet these CEO's have bitchin' houses and whole bunch of other really cool stuff.

[inthewind21]

12. Well

Those CEO's wouldn't be getting those salaries if the PEOPLE weren't buying up their product. Just sayin!

[Effete Snob]

21. That's absolutely correct

I haven’t read all the comments yet, but I’m pretty sure those guys don’t burn a lot more fossil fuels than a lot of other people.

That money doesn’t fall out of the sky from nowhere.

[inthewind21]

31. It kills me

Big oil CEO's and "climate denier" politicians are going to kill us all!!!! Climate change! I'll be back in a flash, I have to fill up my truck! What, I can't afford an electric car and I need my truck for work so it's not my fault! Why vote, it doesn't matter anyway it's all rigged! Republicans are running amok! It's not my fault!

We hear the same thing about drugs coming across the border and killing our citizens. Be afraid, be very afraid! It's all those criminal immigrants fault! Funny thing, no one ever mentions 1. It's not being carried on foot across the border with asylum seekers or migrant workers. Most come in through ports or planes. 2. If the demand didn't exist here, the "business" would dry up here. That's how supply and demand works! If the immigrant hating climate denier politicians didn't keep getting elected, things might be different. It ALL boils down to $$. And not just for the CEO's and politicians. It's the same with the average citizen. I want something done NOW about climate change! But I can't afford to do anything different, Damn those wealthy oil CEO's it ALL their fault! It's a vicious circle and people can't seem to figure out why it doesn't change.

[inthewind21]

10. So

All those gas cars on the road NOW are being driven by dead people?

[KPN]

13. I don't buy that. Many do take personal responsibility to the maximum extent they can access

and afford alternative energy access. Many also take responsibility with their votes, activism, and more modest changes in lifestyle. Far too many can't afford current alternative energy sources, and yes, far too many either do not vote or do not think and consequently do not take personal responsibility.

But it's industry and Government had and still have the predominant influence in dealing with this existential crisis and deserve the larger share of any blame together with the anthropogenic climate change deniers who do vote against needed reform; not "people (are to blame)".

[inthewind21]

18. So

who do you supposes elects those climate deniers in government? Did they magically appear or is this where you tell me they cheated and stole their elections? Where have I heard that story before?

[KPN]

22. I included those people among my description of those who are in fact to blame. And I

stand by my comment about the ubiquitous “people are to blame”. That statement ignores the 100s of millions worldwide who did take responsibility in ways they are able.

[inthewind21]

34. And I agree

There are millions upon millions of people who do take responsibility. However, we, as a country are WE, it's not me, it's not you, it's WE. You are taking it personally and focusing on making sure everyone knows "it's not MY fault", I didn't do it, THEY did. How's that helped so far? And if WE (as a whole) keep voting in the same people, don't vote at all vote 3rd party, keep continuing with our oil habits and keep providing the demand which in turns provides all those CEO's all that $$ for the very thing(s) WE are bitching about then WE are screwed. And WE can complain all day long, but until WE decide to fix it, it will remain broken. Think of it as when you were in school and that one kid acted fool and the entire class got punished. Well, clearly it's not just the kids!

[Effete Snob]

26. DU has an entire forum for recreational travel

And even outside of that forum, people post about their various trips on planes to faraway places for leisure or to visit family.

If everyone on earth consumed as much resources as the average person on DU, the planet would have died a lot sooner than it’s going to.

But, fortunately, much of the world is way too poverty stricken to consume resources at the rate of the average America - and it is necessary to maintain that imbalance in order to keep even the low end of our standard of living.

In the course of my outrageous consumption of resources I’ve seen, for example, favelas in Brazil, the Kibera slum in Kenya, and pockets of poverty in India in which the per capita resource consumption rates are nothing like even the most poor areas of the US - and certainly we have nothing of that scale.

But, no, there is no group of companies or politicians that is responsible for our collective refusal to grapple with reality.

It just feels good to have someone else to blame.

[inthewind21]

35. Someone

other than ourselves!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. About two-thirds of eligible voters turned out in 2020, FWIW.

[inthewind21]

20. That still leaves

1/3 that does nothing. By nothing I mean the ONE thing you can do to try and get real change. I'd bet the farm that the 1/3 isn't real happy with the state of things at present either and also views NONE Of it as "their fault". 2/3 just barely got us over the line of narrowly missing handing total control to the Republicans. The problem as I see it, is people are looking at the issues we face as personal not as the collective "we". "I didn't do it" Well I personally didn't either. I vote every single time. I don't vote for republicans, EVER. I have worked from home for over 15 years and drive maybe a whopping 2K miles a year. I have solar. I have energy efficient everything I can get. I do what I can. But I also realize this country is WE not just me. And I agree. WE are the problem.

[Effete Snob]

27. Yup

Been working from home for more than 15 years and sometimes wonder why I bother to own a car which I have to remember to drive around every now and then or the battery dies. I finally got a solar panel that I keep on the dashboard and which is connected to the battery.

[inthewind21]

16. EXACTLY

Watching "people" twist themselves into pretzels to try and convince everyone that "it's not OUR fault it's theirs" would be funny if it weren't so pathetic. And it's not just the climate, it's pretty much EVERYTHING.

[waterwatcher123]

33. You are right that everyone is part of the problem - but misinformation played a huge role as well.

The fossil fuel companies engaged in a 40 plus year disinformation campaign. This is an article about Exxon's role (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/exxon-knew-about-climate-change-almost-40-years-ago/). But, Detroit Edison, the Club for Growth, the US Chamber and others were right there trying to dissuade anyone from doing anything serious.

The single easiest thing anyone could do to help with the climate crisis is to reduce meat consumption. Most of the agricultural land in the US is used to produce feed-stock for animals. According to recent article on Collin Campbell's website (noted nutritionist), it takes approximately 7.4 acres of land to produce the caloric content necessary to sustain 100 people on a plant-based diet. The same article mentions that it takes 124.2 acres to produce the caloric content necessary for the same number of people who eat the standard American diet. There is roughly 893,400,000 acres of land in the US in agricultural use today. Imagine a significant part of that land being going back to store carbon in the form of trees, grasses, soil, etc. An added benefit would also be the improved health benefits associated with plant based-diets.

[hunter]

39. As I've said before here, anyone can disconnect their gas and electric service...

... and pour sand in the engine of their car.

Then what?

[Effete Snob]

41. Nobody's willing to reduce their consumption of jack shit

But they will point the figure at others all day long.

Wait until I find all the people who bought those fossil fuels that made those other people rich.

Because, if you want a quick plan... those folks should jack up the price sky high and get even richer. At least that way, they'd put a dent in demand.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

6. Because if you don't give the voters a 'good economy' you get voted out

And fossil fuels in the most basic sense ... ARE the economy.

The real blame lies at the feet of a swarming mass of 8,000,000,000 human beings, all wanting more for ourselves.

Our Very Existence (esp. those in 1st world countries) is the root cause of the problem.

It's not the government's fault, nor even big fossil fuel's fault.

It's all of our fault. Because we are here. I know it's not as satisfying as blaming 'greed' or 'rich people' or 'the government' or whatnot. But it is the reality of situation.

And the only solution at this late stage is ... a whole lot less of us. Which we'll either do to ourselves, or nature will do it for us.

[markodochartaigh]

7. It isn't the huddled masses who are the problem

https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/carbon-emissions-richest-1-percent-more-double-emissions-poorest-half-humanity

https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/the-worlds-richest-people-also-emit-the-most-carbon

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-00955-z

[Hugh_Lebowski]

9. How many of those huddled masses wouldn't love to have a million dollars if someone

would give it to them?

To look at this another way, if you took away 90% of the top 1%'s wealth and distributed it evenly around the world, stuck in their bank accounts, making a whole shit-ton more people capable of buying and consuming a shit-ton more 'stuff' ... you think that'd be BETTER for the climate? Because I think that's a very shaky supposition at best.

I get it, we all want to blame someone or something (not ourselves) for problems, that's human nature. We also want there to be a solution to problems that don't involve a population reduction involving billions of people.

And to be clear, it's in fact a First World Standard of Living that contributes the MOST to the problem, no question about it. Per capita, those us in the developed world are mostly responsible.

Which is why I'm always sort-of amused by the fact that people who claim to care about the climate also seem to think it's a good idea to admit refugees from 2nd and 3rd world countries, who, if they come to the 1st World, are going to be responsible for emitting more carbon. Doesn't make sense to me as a position

[IronLionZion]

8. Invading Iraq solved all our energy problems

Saudi oil has never caused any problems for us ever

[Mad_Machine76]

11. IOW

they just aggravated the situation

[Kid Berwyn]

15. Flowing Gold that greases the wheels of industry and government.

[JI7]

19. Who is going to run on reducing meat consumption ?

Especially beef. ?

How about banning beef ?

Or raising taxes on these things ,?

Even on here and other liberal leaning places people are not willing to change or give up things concerning their own lives.

I eat meat but I do know how much it contributes to these environmental problems.

[Effete Snob]

28. No one has to run on that

Who ran on reducing cigarette smoking?

Who ran on not wearing spats?

Who ran on not going to church, or not playing golf?

But, fewer people smoke, wear spats, go to church or play golf than they did years ago.

Who forced people to stop doing those things?

Not everything requires a politician to make it happen.

[inthewind21]

36. Bingo!

And there in lies the problem. Dependency on politicians. THE PEOPLE freely relinquished their ability to call the shots on who and how the government was run. Yet when it goes south, so begins the DEMANDS that government FIX IT, when the people screwed the pooch to begin with. The list of excuses of why "it's not my fault" is quite deep! We ceased to be WE long ago. Now, it's everyone for themselves. Because that helps!

[H2O Man]

24. Recommended.

[waterwatcher123]

25. It is not just government - 40 plus years of disinformation from fossil fuel companies.

I called our attorney general and suggested to an employee that they consider a tobacco-like lawsuit for companies who engaged in an unprecedented climate change misinformation campaign that went on for decades. Exxon and Detroit Edison, among others, knowingly buried evidence produced by their own scientists in the 1970s that pretty well captures the state of affairs expected with unfettered use of fossil fuels. At a minimum, they do not deserve to keep the profits derived from this deception. Maybe some of the funds could be used to help the most vulnerable cope with what is rapidly becoming a catastrophe.

[Kaleva]

29. There never was enough public support to achieve carbon neutral

Many of us still eat meat, drive ICE vehicles, use natural or LP gas and have upgraded from 60 amp service panels to 100 or even 200 amp service panels in the home.

[Kennah]

45. For decades, I have heard from self proclaimed "climate activists" ...

... who drove hotrods and lived life to the fullest without a care in the world for the environment by their actions.

[Bear Creek]

30. Jimmy Carter

Tried to address this he was pilloried. Reagan made gasoline deals with Kuwait which caused Gulf War. Then there was the whole freedom fighters who are al qaeda because they wanted the oil reserves under Afghanistan which ended up going to China. Which goes back to Nixon friending China because Afghanistan was supposed to be divided in between. Satellite had found the oil reserves. CIA killed the leader and threw the country into a civil war. Republicans, oil and coal companies and war have been and still are biggest problem.

[inthewind21]

37. You see that

and I see that. Unfortunately, a very large part of the country either ignored the warning bells or completely missed them because the same politicians have continued to keep getting elected over and over and over. And, here we are. Playing the blame game. On everyone and everything other than "us".

[SalamanderSleeps]

40. Nail meet head.

Thank you.

[moondust]

32. And removed the solar panels from the WH roof.

[Raine]

42. Very true 😔 nt

[Kennah]

44. Voters chose