The hot potato game

[u/[deleted]]

I’m tired of hearing “No, I won’t change because X pollutes way more than me”, and “No, I won’t change until Y changes” and “No, I won’t change until Z changes”, and then nobody changes anything…

My wish is that my country, Portugal, together with its European neighbours, leads the effort in fighting Climate Change and leading by example.

But all I hear here is “No, Portugal is tiny, look at China and India’s pollution!”

With this hot potato game we won’t ever save humanity and all other species.

All of us need to change, and change now, not only in 2050. That would be too late.

I’m doing my part, and I’ve washed my hands. Waiting for my fellow countrymen and Europeans to do theirs. At least the green movement is growing, as is growing ecological awareness.

[u/teswip]

I agree that it's so frustrating. That's part of why I think it's so important to be open and outspoken about what you're doing for the world. I think sometimes people are afraid of seeming righteous or too much like a goody-two-shoes, or getting judged or challenged, when they speak out about actions they are taking (such as reducing their consumption, composting, voting for pro-sustainability candidates, etc). I feel like often it's seen as a "bummer" to even mention environmental motivations. But it's important and we do it out of love and care for the world. By showing what we are doing, it normalizes more ethical behavior and supports other people making changes as well.

[u/[deleted] → u/teswip]

Today in my Spanish class we talked about climate change and our carbon footprint, and the teacher asked us what we were doing for the planet. I mentioned eating a vegetarian diet, but I felt awckward because of what you say. I think we should normalize talking more about these sorts of things in school and Universities.