Well, truth be told.. It _is_ nothing compared to Big Oil.

WarmWash 21 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Spoiler: It's individuals who are driving that demand. The impact of the decisions of big oil are nothing compared to the collective decisions of individuals.

Big oil isn't going to kick down your door when you buy an EV and switch to solar. There is no rancher in the grocery aisle slipping steaks in your cart.

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collingreen 21 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Spoiler, the oil and other energy industries have done a world changing amount of lobbying and regulatory capture in order to drive decisions that cause more and more fossil fuel use. This includes everything from subsidies to industry stagnating regulations to reduced enforcement to suburban sprawl. Look at how the current US administration shills for big coal. Pretending they haven't shaped the world around the consumers is either naive or bad faith.

Yes, consumers have to stop funding these companies and behaviors. Also, the governments that operate on behalf of those consumers have to drop their corruption and start protecting those people they represent. Both virtuous and nonvirtuous conservatives know neither of these are going to happen, which is why they see massive terraforming technology as the only way out - if someone with power can't get rich(er) fixing it then it won't get fixed.

	▲	WarmWash 19 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		>The impact of the decisions of big oil are nothing compared to the collective decisions of individuals.
	▲	tekla 21 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Spoiler, you exist in incredible luxury because YOU benefited from paying for goods and services made extremely cheap from oil. You also have the oil on your hands, and its not washing off easily.

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boredtofears 21 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Yes they are, in the form of lobbying to remove subsidies and adding tax penalties to EV/solar purchases.

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Tadpole9181 20 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Using corporate externalities to trivialize individual contribution is utter nonsense, though. Coke does not make plastic bottles because they think it's fun. Big oil executives don't just fill big Scrooge McDuck swimming pools of the black stuff.

Individuals purchase products from companies, driving that demand. Then are absolutely unwilling to make even the tiniest, temporary sacrifices to demand those companies reduce those externalities.

Hell, half of these individuals don't even both to vote. That's straight-up the bare minimum participation trophy level of effort.

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quickthrowman 21 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Who do you think benefits from the use of oil? Everyone. We’re all guilty, it’s not just oil companies. Goods are transported on ships, railroads, planes, and trucks. Virtually none of these are electrified because of energy density constraints. They all use oil. Anyone that consumes is an oil consumer.

	▲	watwut 18 hours ago \| parent [-]
		This chain of blaming random persons is both useless and distraction. It failed in the past. And it is not even a good faith argument. Guilting people for existing in society wont fix anything. Actually regulating largest contributors to the issue can fix things. And individual behavioral changes will logically follow once rules and laws change.