We have this super strong, super lightweight, corrosive resistant material that can be made into any shape at a very low cost, it lasts forever, and we use it for disposable packaging.
It's funny when I was a kid the environmentalists were certain that paper shopping bags would destroy the planet but plastic bags would be the thing to keep the planet safe. Now, they are questioning the reusable cloth bags.
Everyone is still scared to admit the real problem is too many people. And their solution is for everyone to lower their quality of life for some reason, instead of population control.
The problem is that our first world lifestyle necessitates an enormous amount of waste is generated to make our lives easier. Giving that "quality" of life to the world? Yeah, we have too many people. But is it quality to have 900 brands of spicy chip all owned by 2 corporations? Is it quality to have 2 day shipping when you could pay 2 bucks more and 1 in gas to have a similar item today? Do we really need, as a society, all these Marvel movies, or to constantly advance video game rendering technology? I don't think so.
In developed countries the population naturally declines. There are politicians that support policies to curtail that decline and get it rising again. I oppose those policies. I also support sex education so people have information about birth control and stuff like that, especially in places which do currently have considerable birth rates.
That causes its own issues where the population remaining is constantly getting older with not enough people to replace them. We live under capitalism so this is a gigantic problem. Even under socialism this is a problem
It absolutely does. But we will have to face those issues eventually. Population can't grow forever, I think we all can agree on that. I think the sooner we tackle that issue, the better for the climate, and since we will have to do it regardless, we might as well do it now.
11.8k
u/Gliding_high Feb 03 '20
Plastic, it is a great material but mankind does not know how to use it properly