We all know we are heading to climate doom and that there is no way countries (especially the US) will do whats necessary to stop it. It’s likely to be very very very bad even with notable changes (which won’t happen until there are problems that really disrupt people’s lives right in their faces). So I thought I’d ask everyone a set of questions. Assume, that we have the ability to assess just how bad things are and just what we need to do to alleviate problems. Each option includes what needs to be sacraficed and what the consequences of not doing it are. Please don’t argue about how realistic they are. I don’t care. Nor do I have any patience for climate change denial. I want to know how far people would sacrifice things for their great-grandchildren. These questions assume you are able-bodied, healthy and live in a city. Your personal economic condition is irrelevant (you can live in a boarding house or put your kids all in one bedroom).
1. Personal use of petrol/gasoline is banned. No cars/motorcycles. House heating only upto 17ºC/62ºF. Airconditioning down to only to 30ºC/86ºC (adjusted for hum.). Can rent an electric car for 3 one hour periods a month. Salary is reduced 33%. Food prices go up 3 times ($2 bread is now $6), electronics prices go up 5 times (a $300 smart phone is now $1500). No flights period. Kitchen stove/oven used for only 30 min a day. No hair-dryers/toasters period. Hot-showers for only 2 min a day. No personal washers/dryers and one laundry cycle per person per week only. Only 2 hours of screen time a day. Internet speed reduced by 90%. No internet streaming. Only playing videogames of anykind for 5 hours a month. If you do this, your grand-children and their descendents will suffer a fair bit for only for 200 years.
2. No vehicles and can rent an electric car for 1 24 hour period plus 5 one hour slots a month. Everything else is public transportation and bicycles. Home heating cannot be higher than 20ºC/68ºF ever. Airconditioning is only allowed at +30ºC/86ºF at moderate levels. Food is twice the price. Electronics are 4 times the price. Your salaray is reduced by 15%. Flights restricted to one transcontinental trip per year. No toasters/hair-dryers. 5 min showers max. One laundry cycles a week per person. Internet speed reduced by 50%. Only streaming films/tv 10 hours a month. Only playing video games of any kind for 10 hours a month. If you do this, your great-chanchildrens lives and their descendents will be VERY terrible for only 500 years.
3. Can have electric cars only with 2 hours driving time a day max. Home heating up to 22ºC/71ºF. Airconditioning down to 25ºC/77ºF. Food is 50% higher. Electronics cost double. Salary is reduced 10%. One domestic and one transcontinental flight a year. Two laundry cycles per person per week. 30 hours of gaming per month. If you do this, your descendents will have an extremely shitty time for 1000 years but the world won’t set on fire.
4. No changes. The Earth will be on fire in 100 years.
Which one would you pick. Again, seriously. PLEASE don’t argue about the plausibility of any of this. I don’t care. It’s the level of sacrifice one is willing to make I am interested in.
Belle Rose 3 years, 11 months ago.
