COVID-19 is an immediate problem that is killing people and will kill more people if we don’t act fast. Sure, it’s mostly elderly people or people with respiratory problems, but they’re important too.
Climate change is an immediate problem and people are dying every year from air pollution. Sure, it’s mostly elderly people or people with respiratory problems, but they’re important too. It will kill more people if we don’t act fast.
COVID-19 can be effectively slowed by staying home and not travelling by plane. Climate change can be mitigated by not driving and not travelling by plane.
Responding to COVID-19 by staying home hurts the economy, but it’s worth it to save lives, and the government can help those in need with emergency funds.
Responding to climate change by reducing travel and consumption hurts the economy, but it’s worth it to save lives and the government can help us transition the economy with emergency funds.
Scientists give us warnings about how to respond to COVID-19. Almost all of them agree that it’s serious.
Scientists give us warnings about how to respond to climate change. Almost all of them agree that it’s serious.
To stop COVID-19, we should “flatten the curve” by taking actions to make its spread slower, so our health systems aren’t overwhelmed.
Permaculture speaks about a peak energy curve where the environment can’t handle a huge energy demand all at once, and aims for slower, longer-term solutions that use lower energy over a longer time, which the environment can handle.
COVID-19 has the potential to grow exponentially unless we try to prevent it from doing so by isolating it.
Pollution has the potential to grow exponentially because population normally grows exponentially, unless we try to prevent it from doing so by birth control.
COVID-19 needs to be stopped by quick action, before it starts spreading and gets out of control. If we all stay home and nothing happens, that was the whole point.
Climate change needs to be stopped soon, before the temperature rises and causes chain reactions. If we stop polluting and nothing happens, that was the whole point.
We’re not absolutely sure that our efforts will be sufficient, but we should put in effort to even have a chance of stopping the spread of COVID-19.
We’re not absolutely sure how bad climate change can be, but we should put in effort even if there’s a chance it will be really bad.
A single individual alone can’t stop the spread of COVID-19, but we should still each do our part to take precautions, because we might save some lives.
A single individual alone can’t stop climate change, but we should still each do our part to reduce pollution, because we might save some lives.
People said that it’s impossible for countries and people to cooperate to fight climate change. But they are cooperating to fight COVID-19.
People said the government doesn’t have money to spend for climate change. But suddenly they have billions / trillions of dollars to spend for COVID-19.
People, I don’t get it. My main reaction to COVID-19 is surprise. People are banding together to fulfill an ethical duty, which is great – amazing, even. But I’m surprised because I’ve never seen humans do that before. I’m really glad to see it, and we’ll probably save a lot of lives by our actions. By I just don’t get why you’re suddenly banding together now, and forgetting about political divisions, for this crisis, and not for the other one? COVID-19 might, in the absolutely worst case, kill 100 million people (and it probably won’t, due to our precautions). Climate change might kill everybody. That’s worse. So why will you take all these precautions for COVID-19, but not lift a finger for climate change?
This mindset you have now for COVID-19, where you’re always being mindful of the effects of your actions on others? That’s the habitual mindset environmentalists have had for decades. They are also saving lives by carefully considering the effects of their actions. These extreme actions and quick decisions being taken by society? These are the kinds of extreme actions and quick decisions I’ve been talking about for 30 years that we should do to stop climate change.
A while ago I asked people what it would take to stop driving a car, and the consensus seemed to be that people need to drive to get to work and get groceries and can’t walk to those things. But now suddenly people are able to work from home and get groceries delivered to them and are going for a daily walk.
If the government can spend $100B to give people emergency funds so workplaces can be shut down and lives can be saved, why can’t they shut down coal power plants and buy $100B worth of solar panels to replace them so lives can be saved?
Perhaps it’s because COVID-19 only means temporary life changes, but climate change means permanent life changes? But I’m not sure. The climate change changes don’t seem that bad to me: buying an electric car instead of a gas car or taking the bus or riding a bike or working from home or moving near your work, if you have a house then upgrading it to avoid buying power from a coal/oil plant, changing your diet to be healthier, being less wasteful and being mindful of your actions. I wouldn’t say that really changes your life a lot more than the COVID-19 changes. They might be permanent changes, but not devastating ones.
The difficulties from COVID-19 are the sort of difficulties that many people around the world have been facing all along, and many people throughout history have faced much worse. It’s not the apocalypse, it’s just something that North America hasn’t been used to over the past several decades. So if you’re willing to do all that stuff for something that’s not the apocalypse, can’t you do the other few changes to really prevent an apocalypse?
I’m just so baffled, people. I guess I have “crisis jealousy” or something. 🙂
I’m glad that COVID-19 seems to be making people do some things that they should have been doing all along: washing your hands, covering your mouth with your sleeve, staying home when you’re sick, doing outdoor activities, and using online communications. It’s about time people were made to do those things. Please, people, have a heart and don’t stop there with the saving of lives, do the other things and save the other lives too.
Humans Aren't Rational 