Quote:
Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper
Remember, China is no longer taking our contaminated recyclable trash. It almost all goes into landfill no matter what coloured bin you put it in. It's the little things that will ultimately save us.
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That's thing though, they won't. People think that just because they saved a minuscule amount of plastic by not using a straw or plastic bag and their new iPhone used a slightly more environmentally friendly manufacturing method, that they are doing their part and all is good. But they are oblivious to the carbon cost of everything they consume, as it is impossible to accurately know that statistic. The issue of plastic waste is also a separate, and less important issue compared to climate change.
The solution is to make the climate change problem an economic one. The market failure right now is the cost of carbon is external. If the cost was internalized, then every decision people make will have the climate cost baked into it. The solution is actually simple, but the politics is clearly very difficult because of fake conservatives who are deliberately ignorant of the economic theory behind carbon pricing.