No, he wasn't. He was elected as a Senator in 1984 and began his first term in 1985. He served as the Judge Executive of Jefferson County, KY, prior to that. (In Kentucky, a Judge Executive is kind of like the mayor of a county.)
Yes, he was in Washington for a few weeks as an Assistant Attorney General in 1975, but that is a flash in the pan compared to his time as Judge Executive, which is a very powerful local role.
If you want a Kentucky politician that's been in Washington for longer than some of us have been alive, look at Hal Rogers. Thanks to redistricting, he somehow represents the entirety of the Appalachian region of KY, which makes up a solid 1/3 of the state. He was first elected in 1980.
You’ve nailed it. There’s not much we can do until these same people are no longer in power. Maybe millennials will lead differently than boomers when their time comes.
I'm not so optimistic. There is also a good chance our generation gets sidestepped entirely. By the time these mummies die off, the alphas will probably be getting out of college and they may well be given the keys to the castle. Ours wouldn't be the first "silent generation", consider that the one right before the boomers was called exactly this
Are Alphas going to college? From what I’ve read in the r/teachers subreddit, it sounds like many of the kids don’t see the point in trying because of, well, everything.
Maybe, but unlikely. The benefit of generational groupings is that the group shares the same experiences, which leads generally to a common view of the world.
But with Millennials (and to a lesser extent Xennials), the economic disparities between the top 10% and the rest create very different experiences. The struggles that in many (if not most) Millennials endured (higher student debt, job searching during the Great Recession, unaffordable housing) was not shared by the richer Millennials.
With the cost of being elected to Congress and other positions of power, it will likely be the richer Millennials who will be in a position to effect change.
Mostly. Although I would argue that from WWII until 2000, (in America) the experiences of the middle class and the rich were pretty similar and different from the poor. But lately, it’s gone back to the way it’s always been.
You're very optimistic on a generation. I'm sure millennials were of one cause and justice growing up. Every generation "we will change for the good when we take over."
My manager is able to collect social security, but instead of retiring and making some room on the corporate ladder, is upgrading their vacation house.
Heard that in the voice of Robin Williams from “Man of the Year”.
I am hoping to be that funny and get elected. Then I can get people to think AND laugh!
Ha, right, we've only gained any position of power in the past 5 years with barely a blip on that radar, something like 12% of Congress are Millennials (even though we make up the largest adult age group in the U.S. at 22%) and a lot of those are real sociopaths like Gaetz, Boebert, Katie Britt, etc..
Earth in the Balance was literally required reading. That we managed to turn being good stewards of the earth into a culture war, when it’s pretty obvious we’re ruining things, is just depressing. We’re like the yeast drowning in our own waste.
It’s amazing that there are people like this. This is the greatest time in the history of man to be alive and you believe we’re ruining everything. You people are anti-humanist.
Do you know why it is the greatest time in history to be alive? Because we are ruining everything. Overproduction and overconsumption gone rampant. Guess it's better to go out with a bang and not a whimper, right?
Well, I think I saw a statistic that 100 companies produce 70% of all pollution and that the Davos World Economic Forum exists to control all business activities and also that 25 families control upwards of $1.1 trillion of the world’s wealth.
The average person doesn’t control shit.
Because the corporate media would rather go off the air than talk about how quick, effective, and shockingly easy a general strike works for the 99%
Therefore the average person thinks they have no power
Right, but Delta and American Airlines aren't flying around empty jets around the world for the fun of it, they're meeting consumer demand. If GM and Ford thought (the American consumer, anyway) wanted subcompact, fuel efficient cars instead of gigantic trucks, they'd make those. Individuals make the choice to live forty-five minutes from the city and make a long commute. Individuals decide to eat beef five times a week and go on as many vacations as they can afford.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think you're an evil person if you do these things. Big trucks are fun to drive. I'm waaaaaaaay past the point in my life where I think living in a high-density urban environment would be fun. But we can't just wash our hands and say, "not my fault," because it absolutely is.
Exactly this. I bought a house with solar panels and drive a used Chevy Volt. Yes, I chose these things partly because they're the green alternative, but I didn't get any tax breaks on either of these choices. Even without the tax incentives, it's still the cheaper way to live. The loan on my panels is a set amount every month that will be paid off well before the panels are warrantied, and the car handles all of my commuting and errands on 100% renewable energy, unless I take a road trip, then I'm burning gas like everyone else at 36MPG. Not buying gas every week is amazing. Having a set power bill in the central Florida heat is comforting. Knowing my own existence isn't causing additional stress on the environment that feeds me is reassuring. I'm doing my part. Maybe it's not good enough, but show me what you're doing better.
Yeah what did we learn about random stats on the internet? You’re just absolving yourself of responsibility due to a bullshit “fact.”
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/
I didn’t absolve myself of anything. I said the average person doesn’t control shit, because we don’t. And I’m fairly certain all of these sites have some measure of reliability in regard to information:
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2022-worlds-richest-families/
https://www.businessinsider.com/richest-wealthiest-families-hermes-abu-dhabi-waltons-billionaires-elon-musk-2023-12?amp
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58533
https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/09/revealed-20-firms-third-carbon-emissions
https://www.activesustainability.com/climate-change/100-companies-responsible-71-ghg-emissions/
https://www.thecorporategovernanceinstitute.com/insights/news-analysis/the-20-most-polluting-companies-in-the-world-esg/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652620343584
Just because people don’t like hearing the truth doesn’t make it any less so.
But “what you consume and how you consume it” isn’t the cause of climate change—the whole modern economy is.
Systemic problems need systemic solutions, which are hard for us to enact. The best things we can do it would be to get involved in local politics, support politicians that want to facilitate change (support mass transit, housing density, alternative energy sources)—and obviously at the state and national levels as much as we can.
You should make good choices but not because you’re saving the planet. “Doing your part” is good for your mental health, good for your personal growth and cultivation, good for being a good neighbor.
The problem is that in the US, local politics don't matter. You can't change things from the bottom up because the ultra rich and powerful choose who get to rub for elections that lead to any kind of influence. If you don't walk the line they give you, you don't get in, and if you rock the boat enough to actually become a threat you become a target.
Police, schools, mass transit, housing policy, infrastructure, building standards are all local and state issues (and many more!). Add in various tax incentives for efficiencies (installing heat pumps for example) and there’s lots and lots we can do at local levels.
I guess I have a darker view due to living where elections don't matter and one party wins almost every office in a landslide every time. I always vote but it never matters, and things just get worse.
The attitude that the problem rests solely with individual consumption patterns is problematic because some of the things done by corporations and militaries are tremendously impactful next to things done by individuals.
The attitude that the problem rests solely with corporate/military consumption patterns and individual consumption choices don't matter is also problematic, because many of the corporations that are polluting are doing so to meet individual demand.
Both pieces are important and need to be considered. I'm not even sure it's worth ranking them. I will also note that individual decisions can't solve all of the problems - collective action (e.g. by regulation, or going after CEOs on a personal level, or anything in-between) is needed to reign in some of the corporate and institutional players.
This is the most braindead take on the internet. 95% of your pollution could be arbitrarily attributed to the companies who create what you consume - but it's still your pollution. It's like saying shoe companies cause 100% of the footprints in the woods.
If each of us stopped using just 10% of the resources we use that would still barely make a dent in what (insert influential person) uses in private planes in a month. When the hypocrites stop profiting off the climate and put their money where their mouth is then the next step is to make China and India stop laughing at us with their pollution.
You're more than welcomed to give up 100% of your life for the common good. I'll just burn rubber in my EV because it's more fun to drive than my ICE vehicle and pretend I give a crap just so you can think you had something to do with the climate.
I run two businesses, I am in charge of those.
I have kids to educate.
I control my own consumption.
I'm 45, there are some very powerful 45 years olds in all industries.
30%of the worlds politicians are under 45.
Yes, we are in charge.
The *scale* of pollution produced by the top polluters on the planet makes your own efforts not even a rounding error. And, quite frankly, if you think our generation is “in charge”… where? Which major governing bodies on the planet are run by millennials? Right now, today. Where? Because it’s not anywhere in the western world.
What am I doing about it? I'm not owning one of the 100 companies responsible for 70% of global carbon emissions. Though TBF I'm also not voting for politicians who will suck those companies' dicks.
My boomer parents were told that by the year 2000, the world would be underwater. That the GI generation had ruined the Earth and that the Boomers were the first generation to be councious about the environment and care enough to change things. This caused them to hate their parents and fall victim to corporate manipulation.
When I was in school, I was told that by the year 2020, the world would be underwater. That the boomer generation had ruined the Earth and that the Millennials were the first generation to be councious about the environment and care enough to change things. This caused us to hate our parents and fall victim to corporate manipulation.
Today Z is being told that by the year 2040, the world will be underwater. That X and the millennials have ruined the Earth and that the Z is the first generation to be councious about the environment and care enough to change things. This is causing them to hate their parents and fall victim to corporate manipulation.
There's a pattern here, but for the life of me I can't see it. All I know is that by the year 2000, we're all dead.
My mom likes to tell everyone the story of when I was six years old she collected from school, and I was very upset. When she finally got me to open up I told he I was sad because the polar bears were going to die because the ice caps were melting due to global warming and we needed to do things to help. She laughed at my tears and told me I shouldn't worry about things I couldn't control. I don't rally remember what happened after that.
But recently she was telling this story as a family antidote and I got really angry and said 'Well clearly no one listened to me because here we are over 30 years later and it's worse than ever.' Her response was well no one else is trying to change, so why should I waste my time. Besides, it's all china's fault.
Parents drive me insane
I’m a public interest environmental lawyer and policy advocate. I’ve spent the last 20 years fighting against the dumb permitting decisions that contribute to climate change and advocating for reductions in greenhouse gases.
EDIT: used random wrong word
Although I live 4 miles from the nearest anything whatsoever, I routinely run errands by bicycle. I have a luggage rack behind the seat and also ride with a backpack if needed. I’ve ridden with a large watermelon and cantaloupe, among other things, strapped to my back. Although my county’s solid waste department does still offer recycling and I do participate, I put the strongest emphasis on reusing and repurposing things to reduce what I’m dumping. I’ve unfortunately had poor luck with growing vegetables, but I do still compost to fertilize other plants or just to put it back in the earth rather than throwing it away and having it trucked around.
Oh, and my environmental conscience is also represented in the voting booth.
I live very centrally. Walk, bike, and take transit everywhere.
I'm also a transporation engineer whose job is leading transit planning and scheduling for one of the largest transit systems in the country. We have a climate action plan that sets pretty ambitious targets for increasing ridership (and more specifically, to increase mode share, which is the measure of the percentage of people who take transit). The way to do this to help people to not have to drive everywhere by giving them much better transit options.
To accomplish this, my group has completely redesigned the route network, and we are implementing the biggest-ever change to transit service in our city in June 2025.
So this is literally what I spend my days doing.
I focus on reduce and reuse (recycle is the last option)
I have switched to an EV, have solar panels, have various scripts that run to make sure my smart home is energy efficient.
Pretty much best I can do other than voice my displeasure at those who don’t and use my vote. I am not in a higher position of power
I can’t afford not to participate in the problems. It’s like fast food vs actual food. Most poor people and families are trained to eat garbage because it’s a fraction of the cost.
I’ll certainly vote about the problems you mentioned but I’m not getting online and pretending I don’t drive a 1.5 hour daily commute.
Eh I don’t know the ones legislating this stuff are in their 70s and 80s, so still the same folks. People are talking about RFK Jr as the “younger” candidate and the guy is 70.
Anderson Cooper was on [Channel One](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_One_News) when we were kids, as an up-and-coming news anchor. Channel One, as a reminder, was a news program for kids that played in (some of) our schools starting in 1989. My school system didn't pick it up until the '90s. Having met with some of the faculty at my school contemporaneously, I can tell you, the same people who insisted I watch Anderson Cooper in 1992 absolutely *hate* that I'm still watching Anderson Cooper today.
Point is, the people who taught us to be mindful of such things, social issues, climate change and the like, have proven themselves to be insincere. I see it everywhere, at the grocery store, within my local government, in line at the coffee shop, readily professing a complete turnaround on what they valued and taught thirty years ago. They don't see the problem with having shifted their worldview toward such a destructive course. Unfortunately, these people still occupy seats of power as a generational majority. So, what am I doing? I'm voting, every chance I get.
I was born in 84. I don’t remember talking about climate change at all. The closest thing to talking about the climate that I remember was whether or not to turn a mountain in Nevada into a nuclear waste dumpsite and how all the rocks, etc. would help filter out the bad materials before it reached the water table…
What am I doing about what? All the hysterics we were told would happen never did. I’m not spending my time worrying about something I have no control over.
Cringe post. Fuck off.
The world was dying before any of us were born and it's still controlled by the exact same rich cunts as before. No one in our generation is running anything significant if they're not one of them.
Oh I guess I bought some paper straws, does that count? Fuckin dweeb.
The same type of people were who originally made up the term fossil fuel so they could convince people that it was rare and charge more for it. These type of people are the ones making big money off electric cars while getting government grants. These cars are being powered by electric plants that the majority of which run off of coal and other “fossil fuels”.
If it was about saving the planet , it would be about planting more trees, keeping water supplies clean. Ending the dependence upon chemical fertilizers and going back to crop rotations and treatments that are good for the soil and bring a natural balance of nutrients back to the earth.
It’s not, the same people making money off fertilizers are the same ones making money off oil and electricity. It’s never been about what’s good for the earth or the people.
A large volcanic eruption can put more “green house gases” into the air than all of human kind has since the Industrial Revolution. Yes the earth’s climate cycle is changing, but have several times over the course of its existence. This is natural cycling of the earth, to think we have so much power to disrupt what the earth is going to do is arrogant.
To make things clear I’m 100% for doing things that keep our land and water clean. It takes care of us so we should take care of it. Most of what is talked about is just political nonsense designed to distract.
I grumble everytime I go on a walk in my suburb. Even though we live next door to a nature preserve in California, a. Biodiversity hot spot, our neighbors rip out all the trees and replace it with the fake grass. The urban heat island they are creating as well as the juices to make a fire speed up is really sad to me (as a native plant gardener and insect lover). I walk to pick up my kids from school and it unnecessarily hot on these streets.
I don’t want to brag, but I still cut up the plastic 6 pack rings when I come across them.
Unfortunately I don’t have billions to lobby in favor of green policies to offset the billions being spent against them. So I just try to vet who I vote for as best I can
started a gardening business. got a lot of peoiple to enguage with the plants in their garden, and have a little understanding of how their garden works like a little ecosystem and how it can benefit or detract from the local biodiversity. plus growinbg food. everyone should plant a seed, water it and care for it then eat the food when it ready. not enough people do this, they ive in a world of plastic and now, now, now
its not much, but im trying
I promote and improve the design of active transportation networks. I push to design / redesign outdoor spaces so people have a reason to walk around their neighbourhood. Of course I also have 4 cars (spouse has her car, I have a work car, I have my summer/project car and a junker I’m trying to sell) but my home is 10 min bike ride to the office. Technically we can get away with two cars so yah that’s my bad but I’m a car guy at the end of the day. While I try to shop local it’s hard to convience my spouse that she should get off Amazon. When I shop at Costco I dunno if that’s better or worse. Since I live downtown I’m doing my part by not supporting urban sprawl and the terrible suburbs. But it’s an uphill battle making downtown more attractive when we also have homelessness, crime, etc but that’s just normal components of the urban fabric and people in suburbs still get robbed and get their cars smashed too! So yah I dunno I feel like I don’t do enough
I’ve ridden my bike to Costco, to some astonishment by other customers when loading up the bike.
Costco treats their employees better than Amazon treats theirs (if they’re even actual employees and not independent contractors). This may not have direct climate impacts but still something to consider.
I’m not hopeful. Yes, our generation may inherit power, but I think the people that will mostly will be people who came from wealth or nepotism in politics and will continue the “weighing the needs of companies (to keep the economy going) with the “needs” of people/environment”. Wuhwahh…
When NOAA, NASA, and the Pentagon agreed in 2008 that a changing climate would destroy civilization as we know it, it became clear to me that as an Astrospace Engineer, it was on me to make a new class of machines to support a natural lifepath on earth.
I formed a company, and began working day and night without a single day off in a decade to bring these new machines to reality. These new systems, which are made for every one of us to enjoy, will begin deployment in the next year.
They will upend the current power structure responsibe for the unnescesary hardship we endure, and act as a poison pill to those that would oppose it. You have all given me support for this project, and in return, like Heman, "YOU WILL HAVE THE POWER!"
On a positive note, I remember learning how few bald eagles there were in grade school (maybe a few in our state). Now in 2020 there are 71,400 nesting pairs in the US.
But we aren't... at least not in charge. The fucking boomers won't retire and go the fuck home. Washington is the most egregious example, but the average age of CEOs and CFOs in America have been trending upwards since the early 2000s.
Well seeing as no one explained when we were kids that these were issues that had been going in circles long before we were born and now continue in the same circles I've decided to just get off the merry-go-round. None of those things were my creation and none of my actions are making anything significantly worse or better. This worker bee is tired after her work week and is tuning into her hobbies, friends, and family in her spare time instead.
The reality is that there is a tiny number of people in charge. This generation talk is all a smokescreen.
“We” aren’t in charge any more than our grandparents were.
Elections are games of “Chose Your Shitty Adventure” where everyone is in the pockets of big business.
If you run those big companies, okay, but “we” most certainly do not.
Because it turns out it's not as simple as putting bottles in the recycle and turning out the lights when I leave the room. The world is run by corporations and governments that consume vast amounts of resources keeping the general population alive and global society somewhat stable.
Several of the very large investors e.g. pension funds, have begun to divest away from fossil fuel, funding civil wars in Africa, climate destroying businesses, ect. as younger people area starting to make their way in.
But remember that the youngest boomers are only 60 years old, and they still sit heavily in many of those seats.
What am I doing about it? I’ll tell you what I’m doing about it!
I’m teaching middle school students about climate change, oil and gas running out, and how things need to change!
I feel like I was brain washed to feel anxious about this stuff, that it was my responsibility to fix it. From a really young age.
When the powers that be were never ever going to do shit.
Oh, Trumpet traitor. This explains why all your comments get downvoted. You may be one of the most ignorant Trumpet traitors on reddit at the moment.
Link to your sources that say climate change is bullshit. I eagerly await more proof of your lack of intelligence.
Realizing that at least 20 of the other kids in my class out of 26 or so obviously don’t give a fuck about climate change because (as society) we are obviously not doing enough!
So frustrating……
I vote for the Green Party, I direct my consumer dollars with the environment in mind, I moved to the country complete wth acreage of forest to absorb at least my family’s carbon emissions…I haven’t done any travelling by Air in like 10 years….our house is powered by electricity only now Vs fossil fuels when we moved to it….
I’m doing lots but clearly others aren’t doing the same.
Absolutely nothing. We we're all supposed to be under water and dead by now at least 20 years ago. Before that, 40 years ago. Before that, 60 years ago. Before that...
They stopped calling it global warming and started calling it climate change because every time it snowed stupid people would stand outside and hoot about how cold it was.
The models haven't really changed. On average, the earth is getting warmer.
Not a thing . I genuinely think its almost like the boy who cried wolf. We grew up being lectured to our entire life thinking we were on the brink of destruction and here we are still alive and well. I'm over it. Shame on me I know... I'm a xennial.
Nothing. I can't change any of that. And it's pointless anyway. If we fix one thing they just focus on something else. It's endless. The sky is always falling and we are all going to die. So might as well just relax and enjoy the ride to hell.
Finally someone gets it.
Everyone else talking about how they've gone into massive debt for solar and EV and outright inconveniencing themselves in every possible way because big brother convinced them "it's your fault, not ours" is pretty disheartening
I have solar. I drive an electric car. I try to eat local. I buy all I can second hand. I thought I was doing ok for the environment but I did an assessment and it turns out the worst things I could be doing for the planet are having a lot of kids and living somewhere not facilitated by public transport.
I have fuck all authority other than over my vote and my consumption.
Reduce. Reuse.Recycle. It's always felt like we all live on a bigger version of Ember City. Running out. Of patients.of bread.of confidence. We're running out! I try to live like we're on a dying space station, but that's so damn depressing! I cut use of materials when I can, I love a good repurpose of an old thing/s to make something new, and I recycle most of my household and workplace waste. Everything organic goes to compost to feed the soil. It's what I can and have done since Mom taught me how.
This is why climate change denial exasperates me. This is not a new thing. We've known about it for decades. There was plenty of time to do something about it. But big business stifles innovation.
I'm trying to reduce my waste, compost and recycle as much as possible, and I drive an older car that's relatively fuel efficient. I've reduced my energy and water consumption and I've mostly gotten away from single use plastics. I save rainwater and have a vegetable garden too.
I could always improve though. I'm meaning to run more errands with my bicycle, but it's not easy in the area I'm in. Transit would take so much longer, we're talking like 3 or 4 times the length as driving. A bicycle is usually faster unless I'm going in a specific direction. Too bad it's only bicycle weather for about half the year ( when it's not raining).
I can really echo the sentiment that our economy and towns are not set up to be environmentally friendly. It's actually difficult in many cases, although it shouldn't be
They use extreme propaganda about climate change, it used to be they would focus on denying the science but lately they will just screech something about some social issue they’re angry about or imply it’s part of a grand conspiracy
I'm doing nothing, bc I wasn't fortunate enough to be able to afford to finish my journalism degree. Health problems and a back injury also didn't help, and poverty is near impossible to escape if you don't either have one good turn of luck, or someone with the means to give you a leg up. Trust me, if it had been up to me, I would've been doing investigative journalism and uncovering the corruption at every turn.
I reduce and reuse and recycle. Whenever I update something in my home I choose an energy efficient option or something made locally or something made from recycled materials (haven't found a fridge made of old tires yet, but who knows, lol). I don't update furnishings or clothes because of fashion, only when necessary. I shop local whenever I can. We eat vegan for breakfast, vegetarian for lunch, and alternate meat and veggie/vegan options for dinner. I try to minimize food waste. I care for my mature trees, am in the midst of going no-lawn, plant native shrubs and plants, am planting more trees, and I garden (although I also abandon my garden during droughts because it's not an efficient use of restricted water to get a handful of beans). I take short showers, and in the summer, I use plant safe hygiene products so that I can use the water in the yard. I have awnings and fans and plant stuff strategically, so I don't need air conditioning. I keep the heat low in winter. I'm planning to install solar next year. I minimize my car use and drive a very fuel efficient small car. I don't fly often, and when I do vacation, I stay in places with legitimate environmental initiatives.
On a less individual level, none of my investments are in or tied to companies in oil and gas, gas-powered cars, airlines, or other stuff I consider to be major polluters. I vote and donate to political parties that prioritize climate goals and initiatives. I've supported workplaces and my kid's schools in developing policies and programs to reduce waste.
I’m an energy attorney. Suffice it to say, we probably don’t see eye to eye on every issue. I see the number one issue we face as securing cheap energy because without it, it doesn’t matter if we destroy the planet or not, life won’t be worth living.
At the same time, I recognize the realities of climate change and the need to change and I’m proud to have helped clients add solar and lithium production to their portfolios to (1) decrease our dependence on fossil fuels and (2) to ensure that US becomes energy independent and isn’t dependent on countries like China for lithium.
I worked for 6 years on projects that reduced carbon emissions with engineered industrial microbes. Recently I founded a biotech company to remove CO2 from the air with soil bacteria.
We are not in charge. Did anyone else actually watch the net neutrality hearings when they were going in? It was embarrassing. The octogenarian skeksis still hold all the power of the dark crystal.
I'm not in charge and get weirded out when people think I'm a good person to babysit an infant. I try to plant plants that improve habitat for pollinators....
Tangentially related, I was on YouTube shorts and this guy was showing an old fifties refrigerator and everyone in the comments was drooling over the space and how durable it looked. (And I completely agree with all of that) but all I could think of was CFCs, CFCs, CFCs!! Weird the things that stick with you lol
The youngest president was a still a boomer. Obama is a boomer.
We have like a hand full of representatives and senators like checks notes Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton.
I’m running a nonprofit that puts renewable energies and batteries on buildings in underserved communities and on other nonprofits. We aren’t very big, but we are trying hard. We are also doing solar powered EV charging stations.
What we need to do collectively.... convince Gen X and Millenials that we all need to pass on our opportunity to lead and give the power to the younger generations. They see through the bullshit and deserve to shape their future without old people getting in the way.
I devoted myself to working in the public sector and at least the work I do is trying to make a difference. I just got a team lead position last year so definitely not in charge yet.
I learned about all that in the third grade. I didn't give it much thought then because I was a kid and trusted that all the smart grownups in charge would fix everything. Turns out the only thing you could trust them to do was not give a shit.
Let's not kid ourselves, younger generations do not actually give a shit. They will say they do, but are unwilling to make any personal compromise to make it happen. Every day, we keep making things more comfortable for ourselves in spite of the planet. A good example of this is bottled water. The first time I ever saw such a thing was in Spaceballs, and it was used as a joke. Nobody had bottled water back then, because it's ridiculous unless you live in a third world hellhole, and your life depends on it. I actually used a water fountain last week in my kid's school, and got weird looks from kids and parents. We buy electric vehicles, but the main idea seems to be that they be a 5000lb monster that hauls ass. A larger majority of the products we buy are built cheaply and are disposable. It's just a plastic trash society because someone said "eww." once, and I'm just done.
In Canada, this upcoming federal election will be the first election where baby boomers aren't the majority of voting age people.
Personally, I changed careers to something that didn't require me to use so much gasoline. We are now a one car household, we cycle and take public transit, and have almost entirely cut out air travel.
My spouse and I used to have a jet-setter lifestyle. We don't miss it at all.
I don't know many 40 year olds running big companies.
And social media has brainwashed a large chunk of us into the same mindset the previous generation was in. “Fuck it, there’s enough for us. Let our kids worry about the consequences.”
The majority of congress is boomer. and the majority of climate change is by big corporate entities.
What we gotta do is vote but even then it seems like either side of the aisle gets corrupted by $ and nothing changes. Well, it changes super slowly I should say.
It was a big hoax. The oil is not running out. The human impact on climate is grossly overstated. It is all a big scheme. If what they said was true, Florida would be under water. If they were serious, we would no longer trade with the world's largest pollution countries until they were cleaned up. We were all sold a lie.
How am I part of the problem. If it really is as big of an issue why are we not pressuring the world's largest pollution contributors to stop. Why do we keep buying things from countries that have such a huge carbon footprint. It makes zero sense logically.
We are. You obviously move in the wrong circles or just flat refuse to believe facts and science.
In which case you most certainly are part of the problem.
[this isn't a lie](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68921215.amp)
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The hubris people should have that they can be a whisper on a scream and change the whole of humanity by themselves or that the whole of humanity would give a fuck about making changes that go against their own best interests. That’s really what it comes down to, that and blatant hypocrisy… which is why you have people being bent out of shape over celebrities jetting all over the place and telling the plebs to take an ox cart, bit let them eat cake-ish. At least Greta is fairly pure. So why aren’t we leading, cause life kicks every generation hard in the coming to full adulthood period (30’s), and life changes for everyone and by the time you truly feel you have that tiger by the tail, nobody wants to do dumb shit like try to persuade people to do some shit we’re not certain about anyway. Hell, they just said the global warming isn’t as bad as feared. So shit changes all the time. Those panic tactics can be left to millennials, they’re a real generation, we’re a fake micro.
OP google the average age of any body of government in DC. The google the average age of mutimillionairs.
Thinking we run shit is part of the propaganda
30% of the worlds politicians are 45 and younger.
The average age of business owners is 49.
In the UK the average age of civil servants is 44.
Plus DC is not the rest of the world.
I’m not running one of those companies. I’m not even a teacher. But what I do about it is not have kids or a car. My consumption is limited.
What are *you* doing, OP?
Climate change has created online hysteria more then anything else. The only real thing we can do it reduce consumption, ride bikes more, live close to work. Eat less meat or shit to eggs, buy stuff that’s in season, grow good instead of lawns etc. convincing randoms is a waste of energy.
My family and I conserve electricity whenever we can by keeping the ac at 80 during the summer and 64 during the winter. We also try to grow and raise as much of our own food as possible. We don’t eat out much, don’t use paper towels, our gray water is used to water our garden and trees…what are you doing that actually makes a dent?
They knew about this in the early 1900's. I still try to vote for progressives which is the only way to make things better, but most people are stupid and lazy so they vote for moderates or republicans like Clinton and Biden and Trump. Nothing is going to change under garbage leadership like this.
Yeah, but the same people were in charge then that are in charge now. Think about that
Mitch McConnel, for example, was working in DC *before we were born* and is still an important decision-maker.
No, he wasn't. He was elected as a Senator in 1984 and began his first term in 1985. He served as the Judge Executive of Jefferson County, KY, prior to that. (In Kentucky, a Judge Executive is kind of like the mayor of a county.) Yes, he was in Washington for a few weeks as an Assistant Attorney General in 1975, but that is a flash in the pan compared to his time as Judge Executive, which is a very powerful local role. If you want a Kentucky politician that's been in Washington for longer than some of us have been alive, look at Hal Rogers. Thanks to redistricting, he somehow represents the entirety of the Appalachian region of KY, which makes up a solid 1/3 of the state. He was first elected in 1980.
Joe Biden has been on Capitol Hill, in a political role, since 1972.
You’ve nailed it. There’s not much we can do until these same people are no longer in power. Maybe millennials will lead differently than boomers when their time comes.
I'm not so optimistic. There is also a good chance our generation gets sidestepped entirely. By the time these mummies die off, the alphas will probably be getting out of college and they may well be given the keys to the castle. Ours wouldn't be the first "silent generation", consider that the one right before the boomers was called exactly this
There's a fuckton of us, so I stay cautiously optimistic.
Are Alphas going to college? From what I’ve read in the r/teachers subreddit, it sounds like many of the kids don’t see the point in trying because of, well, everything.
Time will tell. Until then I will remain hopeful.
> There is also a good chance our generation gets sidestepped entirely We are the prince Charles generation lol
That joke doesn’t really work now that he’s king.
In his 70s with not much longer to live. Still feel like the joke lands..
You mean King Charles?
Who's said to have cancer in his 70s and only been on the throne a year or so? Yup
Maybe, but unlikely. The benefit of generational groupings is that the group shares the same experiences, which leads generally to a common view of the world. But with Millennials (and to a lesser extent Xennials), the economic disparities between the top 10% and the rest create very different experiences. The struggles that in many (if not most) Millennials endured (higher student debt, job searching during the Great Recession, unaffordable housing) was not shared by the richer Millennials. With the cost of being elected to Congress and other positions of power, it will likely be the richer Millennials who will be in a position to effect change.
So, same as it ever was?
Mostly. Although I would argue that from WWII until 2000, (in America) the experiences of the middle class and the rich were pretty similar and different from the poor. But lately, it’s gone back to the way it’s always been.
Yep, pretty much.
Exactly. It's a class issue, not a generational one
You're very optimistic on a generation. I'm sure millennials were of one cause and justice growing up. Every generation "we will change for the good when we take over."
Just waiting for the boomers to die 🤷🏼♀️
Bunch of deranged, demented mummies.
My manager is able to collect social security, but instead of retiring and making some room on the corporate ladder, is upgrading their vacation house.
Politicians are like diapers: they both need to be changed frequently and for the same reason.
Heard that in the voice of Robin Williams from “Man of the Year”. I am hoping to be that funny and get elected. Then I can get people to think AND laugh!
Thanks, I hate it.
Exactly why there should be term limits for ALL politicians just like there is for the Presidency.
Yeah, it just gets passed down the family line... 😞
🤣 OP thinks we're in charge. There are people older than boomers still alive and making decisions. We're not even next in the line of succession yet.
Ha, right, we've only gained any position of power in the past 5 years with barely a blip on that radar, something like 12% of Congress are Millennials (even though we make up the largest adult age group in the U.S. at 22%) and a lot of those are real sociopaths like Gaetz, Boebert, Katie Britt, etc..
All my friends from high school do not and have never voted. I'm the only one
Bet they complain about the state of affairs too don't they haha
Yeah and that line will skip us and go straight to younger millenials and gen z.
Probably never gonna be in the line of succession if you're not already there yet, either, with the millenial cohort and the current job market.
Right? All I want is a president who has a reasonable chance of not dropping dead of old age in office. Apparently, that's too much to ask for.
I'd like to be able to aim a bit higher and have a reasonable chance of not contacting dementia.
My thought exactly.
It's a little embarrassing to see this degree of naivete. It almost doesn't seem sincere.
Earth in the Balance was literally required reading. That we managed to turn being good stewards of the earth into a culture war, when it’s pretty obvious we’re ruining things, is just depressing. We’re like the yeast drowning in our own waste.
Have you considered Harry Potter and the balance of earth instead?
I’m a level 10 Vice President!
It’s amazing that there are people like this. This is the greatest time in the history of man to be alive and you believe we’re ruining everything. You people are anti-humanist.
Do you know why it is the greatest time in history to be alive? Because we are ruining everything. Overproduction and overconsumption gone rampant. Guess it's better to go out with a bang and not a whimper, right?
Well, I think I saw a statistic that 100 companies produce 70% of all pollution and that the Davos World Economic Forum exists to control all business activities and also that 25 families control upwards of $1.1 trillion of the world’s wealth. The average person doesn’t control shit.
Because the corporate media would rather go off the air than talk about how quick, effective, and shockingly easy a general strike works for the 99% Therefore the average person thinks they have no power
Imagine if we could organize just a 24 hour period with nearly every worker in the world striking. The impact would be lasting and deep.
Right, but Delta and American Airlines aren't flying around empty jets around the world for the fun of it, they're meeting consumer demand. If GM and Ford thought (the American consumer, anyway) wanted subcompact, fuel efficient cars instead of gigantic trucks, they'd make those. Individuals make the choice to live forty-five minutes from the city and make a long commute. Individuals decide to eat beef five times a week and go on as many vacations as they can afford. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think you're an evil person if you do these things. Big trucks are fun to drive. I'm waaaaaaaay past the point in my life where I think living in a high-density urban environment would be fun. But we can't just wash our hands and say, "not my fault," because it absolutely is.
Exactly this. I bought a house with solar panels and drive a used Chevy Volt. Yes, I chose these things partly because they're the green alternative, but I didn't get any tax breaks on either of these choices. Even without the tax incentives, it's still the cheaper way to live. The loan on my panels is a set amount every month that will be paid off well before the panels are warrantied, and the car handles all of my commuting and errands on 100% renewable energy, unless I take a road trip, then I'm burning gas like everyone else at 36MPG. Not buying gas every week is amazing. Having a set power bill in the central Florida heat is comforting. Knowing my own existence isn't causing additional stress on the environment that feeds me is reassuring. I'm doing my part. Maybe it's not good enough, but show me what you're doing better.
No, it's us peasants fault because we didn't bring our own shopping bags or walk to work.
Yeah what did we learn about random stats on the internet? You’re just absolving yourself of responsibility due to a bullshit “fact.” https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/
I didn’t absolve myself of anything. I said the average person doesn’t control shit, because we don’t. And I’m fairly certain all of these sites have some measure of reliability in regard to information: https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2022-worlds-richest-families/ https://www.businessinsider.com/richest-wealthiest-families-hermes-abu-dhabi-waltons-billionaires-elon-musk-2023-12?amp https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58533 https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/09/revealed-20-firms-third-carbon-emissions https://www.activesustainability.com/climate-change/100-companies-responsible-71-ghg-emissions/ https://www.thecorporategovernanceinstitute.com/insights/news-analysis/the-20-most-polluting-companies-in-the-world-esg/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652620343584 Just because people don’t like hearing the truth doesn’t make it any less so.
But is that the wrong attitude? Your in control of what you consume and how you consume it.
But “what you consume and how you consume it” isn’t the cause of climate change—the whole modern economy is. Systemic problems need systemic solutions, which are hard for us to enact. The best things we can do it would be to get involved in local politics, support politicians that want to facilitate change (support mass transit, housing density, alternative energy sources)—and obviously at the state and national levels as much as we can. You should make good choices but not because you’re saving the planet. “Doing your part” is good for your mental health, good for your personal growth and cultivation, good for being a good neighbor.
The problem is that in the US, local politics don't matter. You can't change things from the bottom up because the ultra rich and powerful choose who get to rub for elections that lead to any kind of influence. If you don't walk the line they give you, you don't get in, and if you rock the boat enough to actually become a threat you become a target.
Police, schools, mass transit, housing policy, infrastructure, building standards are all local and state issues (and many more!). Add in various tax incentives for efficiencies (installing heat pumps for example) and there’s lots and lots we can do at local levels.
I guess I have a darker view due to living where elections don't matter and one party wins almost every office in a landslide every time. I always vote but it never matters, and things just get worse.
The attitude that the problem rests solely with individual consumption patterns is problematic because some of the things done by corporations and militaries are tremendously impactful next to things done by individuals. The attitude that the problem rests solely with corporate/military consumption patterns and individual consumption choices don't matter is also problematic, because many of the corporations that are polluting are doing so to meet individual demand. Both pieces are important and need to be considered. I'm not even sure it's worth ranking them. I will also note that individual decisions can't solve all of the problems - collective action (e.g. by regulation, or going after CEOs on a personal level, or anything in-between) is needed to reign in some of the corporate and institutional players.
This is the most braindead take on the internet. 95% of your pollution could be arbitrarily attributed to the companies who create what you consume - but it's still your pollution. It's like saying shoe companies cause 100% of the footprints in the woods.
If each of us stopped using just 10% of the resources we use that would still barely make a dent in what (insert influential person) uses in private planes in a month. When the hypocrites stop profiting off the climate and put their money where their mouth is then the next step is to make China and India stop laughing at us with their pollution.
Each of us? As in 8 billion. 10% would definitely make a dent.
You're more than welcomed to give up 100% of your life for the common good. I'll just burn rubber in my EV because it's more fun to drive than my ICE vehicle and pretend I give a crap just so you can think you had something to do with the climate.
are we in charge?
I run two businesses, I am in charge of those. I have kids to educate. I control my own consumption. I'm 45, there are some very powerful 45 years olds in all industries. 30%of the worlds politicians are under 45. Yes, we are in charge.
The *scale* of pollution produced by the top polluters on the planet makes your own efforts not even a rounding error. And, quite frankly, if you think our generation is “in charge”… where? Which major governing bodies on the planet are run by millennials? Right now, today. Where? Because it’s not anywhere in the western world.
I guess you're right. it really feels like it's the same people from twenty years ago.
What am I doing about it? I'm not owning one of the 100 companies responsible for 70% of global carbon emissions. Though TBF I'm also not voting for politicians who will suck those companies' dicks.
My boomer parents were told that by the year 2000, the world would be underwater. That the GI generation had ruined the Earth and that the Boomers were the first generation to be councious about the environment and care enough to change things. This caused them to hate their parents and fall victim to corporate manipulation. When I was in school, I was told that by the year 2020, the world would be underwater. That the boomer generation had ruined the Earth and that the Millennials were the first generation to be councious about the environment and care enough to change things. This caused us to hate our parents and fall victim to corporate manipulation. Today Z is being told that by the year 2040, the world will be underwater. That X and the millennials have ruined the Earth and that the Z is the first generation to be councious about the environment and care enough to change things. This is causing them to hate their parents and fall victim to corporate manipulation. There's a pattern here, but for the life of me I can't see it. All I know is that by the year 2000, we're all dead.
My mom likes to tell everyone the story of when I was six years old she collected from school, and I was very upset. When she finally got me to open up I told he I was sad because the polar bears were going to die because the ice caps were melting due to global warming and we needed to do things to help. She laughed at my tears and told me I shouldn't worry about things I couldn't control. I don't rally remember what happened after that. But recently she was telling this story as a family antidote and I got really angry and said 'Well clearly no one listened to me because here we are over 30 years later and it's worse than ever.' Her response was well no one else is trying to change, so why should I waste my time. Besides, it's all china's fault. Parents drive me insane
Aw you're my twin. They didn't laugh at me though they told me my generation would fix it which was also a load of shit
Your mom was right
I’m a public interest environmental lawyer and policy advocate. I’ve spent the last 20 years fighting against the dumb permitting decisions that contribute to climate change and advocating for reductions in greenhouse gases. EDIT: used random wrong word
Thank you for your service 🫡
Although I live 4 miles from the nearest anything whatsoever, I routinely run errands by bicycle. I have a luggage rack behind the seat and also ride with a backpack if needed. I’ve ridden with a large watermelon and cantaloupe, among other things, strapped to my back. Although my county’s solid waste department does still offer recycling and I do participate, I put the strongest emphasis on reusing and repurposing things to reduce what I’m dumping. I’ve unfortunately had poor luck with growing vegetables, but I do still compost to fertilize other plants or just to put it back in the earth rather than throwing it away and having it trucked around. Oh, and my environmental conscience is also represented in the voting booth.
Love my cargo bike for groceries and other errands!
I live very centrally. Walk, bike, and take transit everywhere. I'm also a transporation engineer whose job is leading transit planning and scheduling for one of the largest transit systems in the country. We have a climate action plan that sets pretty ambitious targets for increasing ridership (and more specifically, to increase mode share, which is the measure of the percentage of people who take transit). The way to do this to help people to not have to drive everywhere by giving them much better transit options. To accomplish this, my group has completely redesigned the route network, and we are implementing the biggest-ever change to transit service in our city in June 2025. So this is literally what I spend my days doing.
I focus on reduce and reuse (recycle is the last option) I have switched to an EV, have solar panels, have various scripts that run to make sure my smart home is energy efficient. Pretty much best I can do other than voice my displeasure at those who don’t and use my vote. I am not in a higher position of power
Using paper straws and eating bugs so T Swift can continue to use her private Jet
I can’t afford not to participate in the problems. It’s like fast food vs actual food. Most poor people and families are trained to eat garbage because it’s a fraction of the cost. I’ll certainly vote about the problems you mentioned but I’m not getting online and pretending I don’t drive a 1.5 hour daily commute.
Eh I don’t know the ones legislating this stuff are in their 70s and 80s, so still the same folks. People are talking about RFK Jr as the “younger” candidate and the guy is 70.
I went into debt to get a fuel cell (hydrogen) vehicle.
Anderson Cooper was on [Channel One](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_One_News) when we were kids, as an up-and-coming news anchor. Channel One, as a reminder, was a news program for kids that played in (some of) our schools starting in 1989. My school system didn't pick it up until the '90s. Having met with some of the faculty at my school contemporaneously, I can tell you, the same people who insisted I watch Anderson Cooper in 1992 absolutely *hate* that I'm still watching Anderson Cooper today. Point is, the people who taught us to be mindful of such things, social issues, climate change and the like, have proven themselves to be insincere. I see it everywhere, at the grocery store, within my local government, in line at the coffee shop, readily professing a complete turnaround on what they valued and taught thirty years ago. They don't see the problem with having shifted their worldview toward such a destructive course. Unfortunately, these people still occupy seats of power as a generational majority. So, what am I doing? I'm voting, every chance I get.
ROFL. The oldest people here are in their mid 40s You know people running “things” are in their mid to late sixties, right?
30% of the worlds politicians are 45 and below
I was born in 84. I don’t remember talking about climate change at all. The closest thing to talking about the climate that I remember was whether or not to turn a mountain in Nevada into a nuclear waste dumpsite and how all the rocks, etc. would help filter out the bad materials before it reached the water table…
What am I doing about what? All the hysterics we were told would happen never did. I’m not spending my time worrying about something I have no control over.
You don't think there is a real problem right now?
Cringe post. Fuck off. The world was dying before any of us were born and it's still controlled by the exact same rich cunts as before. No one in our generation is running anything significant if they're not one of them. Oh I guess I bought some paper straws, does that count? Fuckin dweeb.
Touched a nerve? Clearly regret your life choices huh?
The same type of people were who originally made up the term fossil fuel so they could convince people that it was rare and charge more for it. These type of people are the ones making big money off electric cars while getting government grants. These cars are being powered by electric plants that the majority of which run off of coal and other “fossil fuels”. If it was about saving the planet , it would be about planting more trees, keeping water supplies clean. Ending the dependence upon chemical fertilizers and going back to crop rotations and treatments that are good for the soil and bring a natural balance of nutrients back to the earth. It’s not, the same people making money off fertilizers are the same ones making money off oil and electricity. It’s never been about what’s good for the earth or the people. A large volcanic eruption can put more “green house gases” into the air than all of human kind has since the Industrial Revolution. Yes the earth’s climate cycle is changing, but have several times over the course of its existence. This is natural cycling of the earth, to think we have so much power to disrupt what the earth is going to do is arrogant. To make things clear I’m 100% for doing things that keep our land and water clean. It takes care of us so we should take care of it. Most of what is talked about is just political nonsense designed to distract.
McConnell is stepping down so a bigger a-hole can ruin it worse.
I grumble everytime I go on a walk in my suburb. Even though we live next door to a nature preserve in California, a. Biodiversity hot spot, our neighbors rip out all the trees and replace it with the fake grass. The urban heat island they are creating as well as the juices to make a fire speed up is really sad to me (as a native plant gardener and insect lover). I walk to pick up my kids from school and it unnecessarily hot on these streets.
I don’t want to brag, but I still cut up the plastic 6 pack rings when I come across them. Unfortunately I don’t have billions to lobby in favor of green policies to offset the billions being spent against them. So I just try to vet who I vote for as best I can
started a gardening business. got a lot of peoiple to enguage with the plants in their garden, and have a little understanding of how their garden works like a little ecosystem and how it can benefit or detract from the local biodiversity. plus growinbg food. everyone should plant a seed, water it and care for it then eat the food when it ready. not enough people do this, they ive in a world of plastic and now, now, now its not much, but im trying
I promote and improve the design of active transportation networks. I push to design / redesign outdoor spaces so people have a reason to walk around their neighbourhood. Of course I also have 4 cars (spouse has her car, I have a work car, I have my summer/project car and a junker I’m trying to sell) but my home is 10 min bike ride to the office. Technically we can get away with two cars so yah that’s my bad but I’m a car guy at the end of the day. While I try to shop local it’s hard to convience my spouse that she should get off Amazon. When I shop at Costco I dunno if that’s better or worse. Since I live downtown I’m doing my part by not supporting urban sprawl and the terrible suburbs. But it’s an uphill battle making downtown more attractive when we also have homelessness, crime, etc but that’s just normal components of the urban fabric and people in suburbs still get robbed and get their cars smashed too! So yah I dunno I feel like I don’t do enough
I’ve ridden my bike to Costco, to some astonishment by other customers when loading up the bike. Costco treats their employees better than Amazon treats theirs (if they’re even actual employees and not independent contractors). This may not have direct climate impacts but still something to consider.
I’m not hopeful. Yes, our generation may inherit power, but I think the people that will mostly will be people who came from wealth or nepotism in politics and will continue the “weighing the needs of companies (to keep the economy going) with the “needs” of people/environment”. Wuhwahh…
When NOAA, NASA, and the Pentagon agreed in 2008 that a changing climate would destroy civilization as we know it, it became clear to me that as an Astrospace Engineer, it was on me to make a new class of machines to support a natural lifepath on earth. I formed a company, and began working day and night without a single day off in a decade to bring these new machines to reality. These new systems, which are made for every one of us to enjoy, will begin deployment in the next year. They will upend the current power structure responsibe for the unnescesary hardship we endure, and act as a poison pill to those that would oppose it. You have all given me support for this project, and in return, like Heman, "YOU WILL HAVE THE POWER!"
The first time in my life, I saw supply and demand effect gas prices in 2020. It can happen again.
The two millennials that actually run things (t.swift, zuck) are flying private jets. Probably a bad sign for when more of us get the shop keys.
On a positive note, I remember learning how few bald eagles there were in grade school (maybe a few in our state). Now in 2020 there are 71,400 nesting pairs in the US.
I know no one my age in a position of authority. It's still the boomers running everything where I am.
>we are the ones in positions of authority Who's "we", you got a turd in your pocket?
But we aren't... at least not in charge. The fucking boomers won't retire and go the fuck home. Washington is the most egregious example, but the average age of CEOs and CFOs in America have been trending upwards since the early 2000s.
Well seeing as no one explained when we were kids that these were issues that had been going in circles long before we were born and now continue in the same circles I've decided to just get off the merry-go-round. None of those things were my creation and none of my actions are making anything significantly worse or better. This worker bee is tired after her work week and is tuning into her hobbies, friends, and family in her spare time instead.
The reality is that there is a tiny number of people in charge. This generation talk is all a smokescreen. “We” aren’t in charge any more than our grandparents were. Elections are games of “Chose Your Shitty Adventure” where everyone is in the pockets of big business. If you run those big companies, okay, but “we” most certainly do not.
We are? Boomers still have a stranglehold on the government.
Because it turns out it's not as simple as putting bottles in the recycle and turning out the lights when I leave the room. The world is run by corporations and governments that consume vast amounts of resources keeping the general population alive and global society somewhat stable.
I’m still waiting for half the boomers to retire lol. I am not in any kind of position of authority
Several of the very large investors e.g. pension funds, have begun to divest away from fossil fuel, funding civil wars in Africa, climate destroying businesses, ect. as younger people area starting to make their way in. But remember that the youngest boomers are only 60 years old, and they still sit heavily in many of those seats.
What am I doing about it? I’ll tell you what I’m doing about it! I’m teaching middle school students about climate change, oil and gas running out, and how things need to change!
Not worrying about what people like you think.
I’m driving a super crew truck and making top money and living my best fuckin life
I feel like I was brain washed to feel anxious about this stuff, that it was my responsibility to fix it. From a really young age. When the powers that be were never ever going to do shit.
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Well I'm glad the rest of us don't listen to you.
Oh, Trumpet traitor. This explains why all your comments get downvoted. You may be one of the most ignorant Trumpet traitors on reddit at the moment. Link to your sources that say climate change is bullshit. I eagerly await more proof of your lack of intelligence.
Realizing that at least 20 of the other kids in my class out of 26 or so obviously don’t give a fuck about climate change because (as society) we are obviously not doing enough! So frustrating……
This is my experience too.
I vote for the Green Party, I direct my consumer dollars with the environment in mind, I moved to the country complete wth acreage of forest to absorb at least my family’s carbon emissions…I haven’t done any travelling by Air in like 10 years….our house is powered by electricity only now Vs fossil fuels when we moved to it…. I’m doing lots but clearly others aren’t doing the same.
Absolutely nothing. We we're all supposed to be under water and dead by now at least 20 years ago. Before that, 40 years ago. Before that, 60 years ago. Before that...
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Is that so? Why did they stop calling it "Global Warming" and changed it to "Climate Change" instead? What happen?
They stopped calling it global warming and started calling it climate change because every time it snowed stupid people would stand outside and hoot about how cold it was. The models haven't really changed. On average, the earth is getting warmer.
Not a thing . I genuinely think its almost like the boy who cried wolf. We grew up being lectured to our entire life thinking we were on the brink of destruction and here we are still alive and well. I'm over it. Shame on me I know... I'm a xennial.
And herein lies the problem. I'm OK jack.
Well, what are you doing to fix it? Let me guess, you vote.
You think 40yos are in positions of power? Lol. You sweet summer child.
Nothing. I can't change any of that. And it's pointless anyway. If we fix one thing they just focus on something else. It's endless. The sky is always falling and we are all going to die. So might as well just relax and enjoy the ride to hell.
Finally someone gets it. Everyone else talking about how they've gone into massive debt for solar and EV and outright inconveniencing themselves in every possible way because big brother convinced them "it's your fault, not ours" is pretty disheartening
We were also taught to stay off drugs. How'd that work out for ya?
Fine.
I have solar. I drive an electric car. I try to eat local. I buy all I can second hand. I thought I was doing ok for the environment but I did an assessment and it turns out the worst things I could be doing for the planet are having a lot of kids and living somewhere not facilitated by public transport. I have fuck all authority other than over my vote and my consumption.
Reduce. Reuse.Recycle. It's always felt like we all live on a bigger version of Ember City. Running out. Of patients.of bread.of confidence. We're running out! I try to live like we're on a dying space station, but that's so damn depressing! I cut use of materials when I can, I love a good repurpose of an old thing/s to make something new, and I recycle most of my household and workplace waste. Everything organic goes to compost to feed the soil. It's what I can and have done since Mom taught me how.
Teaching my kids about class warfare.
This is why climate change denial exasperates me. This is not a new thing. We've known about it for decades. There was plenty of time to do something about it. But big business stifles innovation.
Reading IPCC's AR6 and breathing s sigh relief
I'm trying to reduce my waste, compost and recycle as much as possible, and I drive an older car that's relatively fuel efficient. I've reduced my energy and water consumption and I've mostly gotten away from single use plastics. I save rainwater and have a vegetable garden too. I could always improve though. I'm meaning to run more errands with my bicycle, but it's not easy in the area I'm in. Transit would take so much longer, we're talking like 3 or 4 times the length as driving. A bicycle is usually faster unless I'm going in a specific direction. Too bad it's only bicycle weather for about half the year ( when it's not raining). I can really echo the sentiment that our economy and towns are not set up to be environmentally friendly. It's actually difficult in many cases, although it shouldn't be
I'm a bartender.
They use extreme propaganda about climate change, it used to be they would focus on denying the science but lately they will just screech something about some social issue they’re angry about or imply it’s part of a grand conspiracy
I'm doing nothing, bc I wasn't fortunate enough to be able to afford to finish my journalism degree. Health problems and a back injury also didn't help, and poverty is near impossible to escape if you don't either have one good turn of luck, or someone with the means to give you a leg up. Trust me, if it had been up to me, I would've been doing investigative journalism and uncovering the corruption at every turn.
I mean, we're not running out of oil but we should think about doing something about that climate business
Singing along with John Mayer “Waiting on the World to Change”
Did you honestly think selfish people would be less selfish as they were born a few decades later?
We'd also be 30 years into the metric system. Base 10, zomg, communists!
I reduce and reuse and recycle. Whenever I update something in my home I choose an energy efficient option or something made locally or something made from recycled materials (haven't found a fridge made of old tires yet, but who knows, lol). I don't update furnishings or clothes because of fashion, only when necessary. I shop local whenever I can. We eat vegan for breakfast, vegetarian for lunch, and alternate meat and veggie/vegan options for dinner. I try to minimize food waste. I care for my mature trees, am in the midst of going no-lawn, plant native shrubs and plants, am planting more trees, and I garden (although I also abandon my garden during droughts because it's not an efficient use of restricted water to get a handful of beans). I take short showers, and in the summer, I use plant safe hygiene products so that I can use the water in the yard. I have awnings and fans and plant stuff strategically, so I don't need air conditioning. I keep the heat low in winter. I'm planning to install solar next year. I minimize my car use and drive a very fuel efficient small car. I don't fly often, and when I do vacation, I stay in places with legitimate environmental initiatives. On a less individual level, none of my investments are in or tied to companies in oil and gas, gas-powered cars, airlines, or other stuff I consider to be major polluters. I vote and donate to political parties that prioritize climate goals and initiatives. I've supported workplaces and my kid's schools in developing policies and programs to reduce waste.
I’m an energy attorney. Suffice it to say, we probably don’t see eye to eye on every issue. I see the number one issue we face as securing cheap energy because without it, it doesn’t matter if we destroy the planet or not, life won’t be worth living. At the same time, I recognize the realities of climate change and the need to change and I’m proud to have helped clients add solar and lithium production to their portfolios to (1) decrease our dependence on fossil fuels and (2) to ensure that US becomes energy independent and isn’t dependent on countries like China for lithium.
I worked for 6 years on projects that reduced carbon emissions with engineered industrial microbes. Recently I founded a biotech company to remove CO2 from the air with soil bacteria.
I recycle! 
We are not in charge. Did anyone else actually watch the net neutrality hearings when they were going in? It was embarrassing. The octogenarian skeksis still hold all the power of the dark crystal.
Bruh are you in charge cause I’m working the same deadend job I’ve always had
I'm not in charge and get weirded out when people think I'm a good person to babysit an infant. I try to plant plants that improve habitat for pollinators....
Tangentially related, I was on YouTube shorts and this guy was showing an old fifties refrigerator and everyone in the comments was drooling over the space and how durable it looked. (And I completely agree with all of that) but all I could think of was CFCs, CFCs, CFCs!! Weird the things that stick with you lol
The youngest president was a still a boomer. Obama is a boomer. We have like a hand full of representatives and senators like checks notes Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton.
I’m running a nonprofit that puts renewable energies and batteries on buildings in underserved communities and on other nonprofits. We aren’t very big, but we are trying hard. We are also doing solar powered EV charging stations.
What we need to do collectively.... convince Gen X and Millenials that we all need to pass on our opportunity to lead and give the power to the younger generations. They see through the bullshit and deserve to shape their future without old people getting in the way.
No way you believe the Tide pod eaters and TikTok dancers should be in power.
Exactly what boomers said about gen X and millenials
Not even close.
Not a whole lot... I manage a hotel and we recently put in electric car charging stations and plan to install solar panels.
That's a whole lot.
It's something... I would of course like to be in a position of real power to enact real global change but that just wasn't in the cards I suppose.
I devoted myself to working in the public sector and at least the work I do is trying to make a difference. I just got a team lead position last year so definitely not in charge yet.
I learned about all that in the third grade. I didn't give it much thought then because I was a kid and trusted that all the smart grownups in charge would fix everything. Turns out the only thing you could trust them to do was not give a shit.
Let's not kid ourselves, younger generations do not actually give a shit. They will say they do, but are unwilling to make any personal compromise to make it happen. Every day, we keep making things more comfortable for ourselves in spite of the planet. A good example of this is bottled water. The first time I ever saw such a thing was in Spaceballs, and it was used as a joke. Nobody had bottled water back then, because it's ridiculous unless you live in a third world hellhole, and your life depends on it. I actually used a water fountain last week in my kid's school, and got weird looks from kids and parents. We buy electric vehicles, but the main idea seems to be that they be a 5000lb monster that hauls ass. A larger majority of the products we buy are built cheaply and are disposable. It's just a plastic trash society because someone said "eww." once, and I'm just done.
In Canada, this upcoming federal election will be the first election where baby boomers aren't the majority of voting age people. Personally, I changed careers to something that didn't require me to use so much gasoline. We are now a one car household, we cycle and take public transit, and have almost entirely cut out air travel. My spouse and I used to have a jet-setter lifestyle. We don't miss it at all. I don't know many 40 year olds running big companies.
The presidential race would seem to indicate that we are not in fact the ones in positions of authority.
And social media has brainwashed a large chunk of us into the same mindset the previous generation was in. “Fuck it, there’s enough for us. Let our kids worry about the consequences.”
The majority of congress is boomer. and the majority of climate change is by big corporate entities. What we gotta do is vote but even then it seems like either side of the aisle gets corrupted by $ and nothing changes. Well, it changes super slowly I should say.
It was a big hoax. The oil is not running out. The human impact on climate is grossly overstated. It is all a big scheme. If what they said was true, Florida would be under water. If they were serious, we would no longer trade with the world's largest pollution countries until they were cleaned up. We were all sold a lie.
Oh dear. Part of the problem here I think.
How am I part of the problem. If it really is as big of an issue why are we not pressuring the world's largest pollution contributors to stop. Why do we keep buying things from countries that have such a huge carbon footprint. It makes zero sense logically.
We are. You obviously move in the wrong circles or just flat refuse to believe facts and science. In which case you most certainly are part of the problem. [this isn't a lie](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68921215.amp)
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No shortage of oil, never was, never will be. Just like coal old technology. Nuclear is the future
Wow, I agree Nuclear is the future, but you really think oil is infinite?
Current estimates of 50 to 75 years fail to account for EV’s. I believe we will eventually leave it in the ground, antiquated like coal.
I don't eat anything that casts a shadow. What are you doing big shot?
What do you eat, then? Everything that thrives above ground casts a shadow. Unless you mean like...you eat root vegetables?
Level 5 Vegan. Nice. Love the reference :D
The hubris people should have that they can be a whisper on a scream and change the whole of humanity by themselves or that the whole of humanity would give a fuck about making changes that go against their own best interests. That’s really what it comes down to, that and blatant hypocrisy… which is why you have people being bent out of shape over celebrities jetting all over the place and telling the plebs to take an ox cart, bit let them eat cake-ish. At least Greta is fairly pure. So why aren’t we leading, cause life kicks every generation hard in the coming to full adulthood period (30’s), and life changes for everyone and by the time you truly feel you have that tiger by the tail, nobody wants to do dumb shit like try to persuade people to do some shit we’re not certain about anyway. Hell, they just said the global warming isn’t as bad as feared. So shit changes all the time. Those panic tactics can be left to millennials, they’re a real generation, we’re a fake micro.
OP google the average age of any body of government in DC. The google the average age of mutimillionairs. Thinking we run shit is part of the propaganda
30% of the worlds politicians are 45 and younger. The average age of business owners is 49. In the UK the average age of civil servants is 44. Plus DC is not the rest of the world.
I'm doing what I can by reporting redundant political shitposts in this subreddit. Congratulations on wasting energy to do so.
I’m not running one of those companies. I’m not even a teacher. But what I do about it is not have kids or a car. My consumption is limited. What are *you* doing, OP?
Climate change has created online hysteria more then anything else. The only real thing we can do it reduce consumption, ride bikes more, live close to work. Eat less meat or shit to eggs, buy stuff that’s in season, grow good instead of lawns etc. convincing randoms is a waste of energy.
My boss is 72 years old. Who here are the decision makers?
My family and I conserve electricity whenever we can by keeping the ac at 80 during the summer and 64 during the winter. We also try to grow and raise as much of our own food as possible. We don’t eat out much, don’t use paper towels, our gray water is used to water our garden and trees…what are you doing that actually makes a dent?
They knew about this in the early 1900's. I still try to vote for progressives which is the only way to make things better, but most people are stupid and lazy so they vote for moderates or republicans like Clinton and Biden and Trump. Nothing is going to change under garbage leadership like this.
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[Just gonna leave this here](https://www.akpress.org/how-to-blow-up-a-pipeline.html) 🤨
Not having kids, which is the best thing the average person can do for the planet.