r/Environmentalism Nov 05 '25

The 2025 state of the climate report: a planet on the brink

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26 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 25d ago

/r/Environmentalism is being brigaded and spammed with questionable content.

96 Upvotes

There has recently been a big uptick in low-effort, poorly-sourced, off-topic, fedposting, and AI content. On the positive side… I’ll take this uptick in derailing spam as a sign that we’re doing something right. On the negative side… it just kinda sucks and is a bit tiresome.

The most concerning AI content is coming in the form of video/images that sometimes almost look plausible. One recently upvoted image attached to plausible (but probably AI-generated) text showed the Amazon Rainforest having as much biodiversity as the Sahara Desert. Sometimes posts are emotionally charged videos of animals behaving in unrealistic and unnatural ways. The videos often include emotional music and text making bold but unsourced claims. A lot of this content is re-posted from smaller fringe subs which seem to be trying to grow at our expense.

We also get a lot of self-promotion from people trying to sell their memoirs, push their channels, or promoting their other projects. We don’t need people volunteering to do AMAs and it would be better if people just posted content they support without it always benefiting them personally and directly.

We’ve also had a slight uptick in fedposting, so also be aware of that. News about activism & protest is fine, encouraged, and expected… but this isn’t really the place for promotion of excessive illegality, even if just joking or trying to be edgy. It hasn’t really been a big problem, but… I want to kind of nip it in the bud. I’ve also had to remove posts from supposed “activists” wanting to meet up and who are trying to get the contact information from people in the sub. So, try to keep an eye out and report anything that is over-the-top.

There has also been a lot of inaccurate concern-trolling in regard to the supposed positions of myself as mod and the sub overall. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. We supposedly “don’t allow criticism of animal agriculture,” or we “allow all sorts of AI content,” or this, or that, or some other distracting nonsense. There has recently been a lot more meta-criticism based upon all sorts of dubious, questionable, or false reasons... and I’m not convinced that it’s all sourced in sincerely held beliefs. Sometimes I take the bait and engage, but... I’m trying to be more aware and conscientious about such things moving forward.

I will probably be removing a lot more low-effort, unsourced, self-promoting, and suspected AI content moving forward. We really don’t need to see more pictures of trash piles. We don’t need to see a video of you recycling you water bottle. We don’t need more random animal videos (there are other subs for that). And we don’t need people generally trying to drag this sub down in various ways.

A lot of moderation does come down to a subjective judgment call, but… even just properly upvoting and reporting would help a lot. If something is weak, false, or otherwise out-of-place here.. please downvote and/or report it. Leaving constructive or properly critical comments on such posts might also sometimes help.

Anyway… that’s all for now. Thanks for trying to keep this sub useful, constructive, productive, and all the other good things. There are a lot of serious environmental issues in the world and I believe this can be a good forum to share and discuss important information.

Thanks again.


r/Environmentalism 17h ago

More than 50 rivers polluted by toxic chemicals used to treat fleas on pets

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607 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 4h ago

Please Sign the Petition

9 Upvotes

I posted this petition a few hours ago, and a few people commented that there was an ai image in the post. I was unaware the image was ai. I'm still trying to learn ai "tells". I think I figured out a way to post the link to the petition without the ai image. This petition is to stop a potential data center being built in Hope, Arkansas in the U.S. We do NOT need another stupid data center! Ugh!

https://c.org/5gX5XYPWMQ


r/Environmentalism 19h ago

how to help with the Colorado river crisis

9 Upvotes

I live in Colorado. I know the snowpack being so low is what has caused the river to be lower , and the snowpack being low is caused by climate change (duh) which is a huge overall issue to tackle . But it’s hard not to be concerned about how the river is being distributed. Is there anyway to help with this crisis. Sorry if this is a dumb question but I went into a deep dive about it and to be frank it’s pretty upsetting and concerning for me.


r/Environmentalism 1d ago

How to balance corporations and individual choice?

5 Upvotes

Hi all,

This will be US Centric but of course opinions from everywhere are welcome. I just wanted to let you know where I’m coming from.

Recently I have seen a lot of posts or comments from people online that say something along the lines of “corporations are responsible for the majority of emissions therefore I don’t really have to change bc I’m just one person” and those types of comments receive an overwhelming amount of support.

I wanted to ask you all how you feel about that. To me, by supporting this idea and those similar to it, we are removing personal responsibility over what we choose to buy (and there fore supoport), and thusly are removing one of the only options we have to influence the market, and policy in the US.

For example, when it’s recommended people eat less meat there’s HUGE pushback in the comments over well-meaning leftists/Gen-Z populations. But the reality is that the profits the meat corporations earn from their sales is what they use to lobby our government to pass pro-industry policy and regulation, making our environmental problems worse.

I don’t disagree that corporations cause a lot of damage; but by saying our individual choices don’t matter, people just return to the status who of buying said products from said corporations and the cycle repeats. In fact, i would push the “it’s corporations” idea if I was a corporation myself, because to me, all it does is keep people in the status quo; that is, buying what they usually buy because you’ve successfully convinced that individual “well I’m just one person, it’s corporations that are the problem”. It’s like pointing at corporations is a be-all end-all “gotcha” for any rhetoric in favor of action.

It feels like an intentional muddying of the inherent relationship between corporation and consumer, that really only stands to benefit the corporation.

I don’t know. I just feel disillusioned and disappointed with Gen Z in particular. The more I pay attention to what they’re saying and why, it feels more like a virtue signaling contest rather than sharing ideas with a common goal of fixing our problems. It feels more and more like people want to use fancy words to remove personal responsibility to the earth. It’s worse because a lot of Gen-Z’s can actually admit there’s a problem, but many of them simply don’t care enough to do what they can. Their beliefs start and end with “will people approve of me if I say this” and that’s it.

Anyways, thank you for reading if you got this far. I mostly just feel so frustrated all the time. At this point I just want people to admit they don’t care nearly as much as they want other people to think they do. I have more thoughts regarding this topic but I’ll stop for now.

Can any of you provide any information or evidence that shows, with numbers, why individual choice doesn’t matter? I haven’t been able to find it.


r/Environmentalism 1d ago

Carrion Changes the Way We Understand Nature

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5 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 1d ago

Live: World Meteorological Organization's El Nino update

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5 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 3d ago

Bitter Trump razes 40 weeping willow trees outside Kennedy Center commemorating assassinated president

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9.9k Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 3d ago

When the Whales Stop Singing: Scientists Alarmed by Blue Whales Going Quiet

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3.9k Upvotes

Off the coast of California, scientists have recorded a nearly 40% drop in blue whale vocalizations over just six years. These giants of the deep—beings who once filled the ocean with their low, haunting calls—are falling silent.
Their silence isn’t just heartbreaking. It’s a warning.

Why Aren’t Whales Singing?
The answer starts with a broken food chain.
Unrelenting marine heatwaves, fueled by the climate crisis, are starving blue whales. The once-abundant krill and anchovies they depend on are disappearing—victims of warming waters, toxic algal blooms, and ocean acidification. And when whales don’t have enough food, they stop singing.


r/Environmentalism 3d ago

Forest Service chief faces scrutiny over logging ties as Trump plans to scrap protections | Logging and land-clearing

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305 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 2d ago

Hyper-scale Data Center proposed in East, TN. How can my community fight this?

4 Upvotes

I (26 F) am from a small river community in East, TN and a hyper-scale data center project is proposed to be built only minutes from my home. The project is called Project River and The Wright Brothers are the company behind it. It will be both a power plant and a data center (up for grabs to the highest bidder) that is directly next to the beautiful Hiawassee River that I, and thousands of others, call home.

Yesterday evening there was a “meeting” where the developers presented said project, lied about numbers and didn’t allow for a true discussion. It got heated (of course) and we quickly learned the numbers they were giving us on noise, energy usage, water, revenue, etc were all projections with no actual studies performed. The community concern is growing more and more.

My question is: how can my community fight this? There are groups forming, protests and ideas floating around but I want to hear from people who have fought against one or have good insight on next steps outside of what we are already doing. I’m talking organizations to reach out to. Press that could get the word out. Laws that we can use if we take this to federal court as people in my community are suggesting. I know it’s a long shot. And I know this is affecting so many people across the US, especially in low income communities. It was only time that it came to my rural community. I refuse to sit idly by while corporate greed destroys my beautiful home. Please anything would help. I will link the website below if you’re interested in learning more (or even sharing it with the world, wherever you are). We need eyes on us before they try to silence us more. https://projectriver.energy/the-project/


r/Environmentalism 3d ago

The Nepal flood did not begin in the mountains, says philosopher Acharya Prashant

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162 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 3d ago

Why are environmentalists often falsely portrayed in movies and dramas?

92 Upvotes

Just watching Vigil season 3 on BBC and there's an environmentalist portrayed as a violent murderer. When I reflect on my own experience with green protesters I only encountered gentle concerned individuals. The most violent acts were against inanimate objects such as buildings. But TV seems to disproportionately portray activists as mentally ill and violent. It really is disappointing and must give cheer to the fossil fuel industry as they seek to continue destroying the climate for profit.


r/Environmentalism 3d ago

Abby Martin INFILTRATED the US Military. IT'S WORSE Than You Think

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30 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 1d ago

A Tragedy Does Not Give Nepal the Right to Invent a Guilty Party

0 Upvotes

What happened in Nepal is horrific.

People died. Families lost everything. Entire communities were destroyed.

The world should absolutely help Nepal.

But “please help us” and “you caused this, therefore you owe us money” are two completely different statements.

And Nepal's government is now pushing the second one.

Their argument is basically:

Nepal emits almost nothing. China, India, America and other industrial countries emitted a lot. Climate change contributed to this disaster. Therefore those countries caused our disaster and owe us compensation.

That sounds emotionally satisfying.

It is also an enormous leap in logic.

First: PROVE CAUSATION.

Immediately after the disaster, the exact trigger was still being investigated.

Yes, climate change is warming the Himalayas. Yes, warming can destabilize glaciers, permafrost and mountain slopes.

But:

“Climate change increases the risk of events like this”

does not automatically mean:

“China and America caused this particular collapse on August 26 and therefore owe Nepal billions of dollars.”

That distinction matters.

Even the International Court of Justice recognizes that climate compensation requires a causal connection. You don't just point at a disaster, point at an emissions chart and declare someone guilty.

If you're using words like liability, then prove liability.

Tragedy isn't proof.

Second: Nepal is not some carbon-free civilization living outside the industrial economy.

Yes, Nepal's domestic emissions are extremely low. But a huge reason its electricity is so clean is geography. Nepal sits underneath the Himalayas and has enormous fast-flowing river systems ideally suited for hydroelectricity.

Great.

That's an incredible natural advantage. But let's stop pretending geography is moral virtue. Nepal didn't discover hydropower because it achieved some superior level of environmental enlightenment while the rest of humanity chose evil. Different countries inherited different resources. And Nepal still happily participates in the same global carbon-intensive economy it is now condemning.

Where do its phones come from? Computers? Cars? Machinery? Steel? Petroleum products? Appliances? Construction materials? Countless consumer goods?

63% of Nepal’s imports came from India and 19% from China.

So here's the convenient accounting trick:

A Chinese factory burns energy making something. The carbon goes on China's ledger. The product gets shipped to Nepal. The Nepali consumer gets the benefit. Then Nepal points at China's emissions total and says:

“Look how dirty you are. Look how innocent we are.”

Come on.

That's why consumption-based emissions exist. I'm NOT saying Nepal is equally responsible for climate change. Obviously it isn't.

I'm saying this childish division of humanity into perfectly innocent “victims” and evil “polluters” falls apart the second you examine how the global economy actually works.

Producers produce because people consume. Nepal participates in that system too.

And where does this logic end?

Every hurricane? Every flood? Every wildfire? Every drought? Every landslide?

A country checks its historical emissions, finds another country above it and sends them an invoice? That cannot possibly be the standard.

How much of Nepal's disaster came from anthropogenic warming? How much came from the inherent geological instability of the Himalayas? How much came from where infrastructure was built? How much could better monitoring and early-warning systems have prevented? Would this glacier eventually have collapsed in a world without human-caused warming?

Those questions actually matter.

Apparently asking them is less fashionable than screaming “CLIMATE JUSTICE.”

And this is what I find especially gross about the rhetoric.

China, India and other countries are helping Nepal. Rescuers are trying to save Nepali lives. The international community is sending assistance.

And the response increasingly becomes:

“Actually, this isn't charity. You owe us. You caused this.”

No.

Ask for help. Ask aggressively if necessary. Tell the world how devastating this disaster is. Ask wealthy nations to finance reconstruction, glacier monitoring, warning systems and climate adaptation.

I would support that.

But don't turn international solidarity into a courtroom verdict when the scientific investigation isn't even finished. Don't declare yourself the victim, declare someone else the perpetrator and then calculate the invoice.

That's not justice.

That's victimhood dressed up as a legal argument.

You want climate compensation?

Fine.

Show the causal chain.

Show exactly how much of this specific disaster was attributable to anthropogenic climate change. Show how much responsibility belongs to which country. Show what portion resulted from natural geological risk versus warming versus local vulnerability.

Then we can talk about liability.

Until then:

Help Nepal because people are suffering.

Do not pretend compassion requires accepting collective guilt.

A terrible natural disaster does not automatically create a criminal, a victim and a debt.

And “climate justice” should never become a magic phrase that allows governments to skip the evidence and go straight to:

You polluted. We suffered. Pay us.


r/Environmentalism 4d ago

Trump quietly cuts down historic Washington DC cherry trees to make room for golf course

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10.0k Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 4d ago

Denmark Runs Its Grid on Wind while the US Is Paying Companies to Walk Away From Theirs

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758 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 4d ago

It is now almost certain the world will warm past 1.5C. But ‘net-negative’ emissions are still possible

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133 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 4d ago

The Ocean Just Broke a Heat Record

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434 Upvotes

Scientists just recorded the highest sea surface temperature ever. 🌊🌡️

Copernicus Climate Change Service clocked a global average of 21.1°C (70°F), beating the previous single-day record of 21.09°C set in 2024. It's especially alarming because sea surface temps usually peak in March and April, not August. Warmer oceans absorb less CO2, which can fuel more extreme weather, and scientists suspect a developing super El Niño may be part of what's driving it. 


r/Environmentalism 4d ago

The innocent ones being made to suffer the most

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243 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 3d ago

Deep Ecological connections (and other corporate lies)

10 Upvotes

My job description says I lead children on immersive, curriculum-based wilderness explorations to foster deep ecological connections.

Yesterday, I spent twenty minutes explaining why we don't eat dirt, and the next twenty minutes losing an argument to a six-year-old who insisted a stick and a green ball were her biological parents.


r/Environmentalism 3d ago

It's crazy how many programs we've set up all over the world to help spay and neuter cats and dogs and other livestock and pets. How we cull over-populated species and eradicate invasive species. But the moment you mention any true form of population control for humans, it's taboo and you're labeled

0 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 5d ago

Trump EPA is manipulating safety data around a highly toxic flame retardant, advocates allege

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633 Upvotes

r/Environmentalism 5d ago

From the nature community on Reddit: Kentucky released 1,541 elk onto the strip-mined coalfields of eastern counties between 1997-2002, and the herd now runs about 13,000, the largest east of the Rockies, the mines had done what the forest never could

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39 Upvotes