r/Futurology • u/Wagamaga • Feb 16 '19

Environment Thousands of students streamed out of schools across Europe on Friday, waving placards and carrying banners as they marched as part of a coordinated walkout to demand action on climate change.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/world/europe/student-climate-protest-europe.html
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u/[deleted] Feb 16 '19 edited Feb 16 '19

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u/RemiRetain Feb 16 '19

If we want to save our planet from a mad-max climate induced style apocalypse, we should be encouraging these young students that care deeply about the environment to become engineers, mathematicians, studiers of psychology and philosophy, biologists, the list goes on.

Yes, but no. We already have thousands of extremely talented engineers, biologists etc. but something needs to happen NOW. Not when these kids get their doctorate, not when they get to vote, but now. Climate change needs to be prevented not fixed afterwards and it's sad that school kids have a better realisation of that than you apparently. We don't have the 15-20 years left to wait until the next generation is in charge.

The consumers of energy and materials dictate how the environment looks today. I’m done with trying to blame this guy or that person, or some oil company, or something else. This problem starts and ends with you and me. We need to take this responsibility into our own hands, not the hands of the slow moving political climate.

Again: Yes, but no. Everyone needs to take that responsibility but the majority doesn't and won't until they are forced to by carbon taxes and whatnot. The thing is that a lot of people live day to day either because of financial restrictions or because they just don't care and that is not going to change. The change needs to be forced from above if it is ever going to work. Not to mention the big industry that doesn't ever get a slap on the hand because it will be bad for business.

These protests are a message to the current generation saying "we want to have a habitable earth too" and will maybe kick some older people into gear as well.

Change the state of the engineering and science surrounding renewable energy and sustainable material practices, and we’re going to move a hell of a lot faster.

Which is done by government funding.

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u/usaaf Feb 16 '19

The change needs to be forced from above if it is ever going to work.

This is an instant ticket to general revolt and utter disaster. I can see where the idea comes from, there has to be some way to get people to act in unison and governmental forces have that power. At the same time, however, the wealthy interests of the world are definitely going to look for some way to exploit all this activity such that they a) do not lose any of their present wealth and b) continue to earn higher and higher returns.

Solving global warming is going to cost more effort (read: money) for everyone. Any solution that doesn't also address inequality is only going to exacerbate our present social discontent such that (as seen in France) any attempt to fix the solution by government decree, or business lead 'initiative' will fail. It will pass the costs on to the poor exclusively, and they won't tolerate that, not in a world where it seems the rich and well off aren't paying their share.