Hope at this point is moronic, we're talking about mitigating disasters, not eliminating them. So right now we need panic. Panic is a very powerful tool. It gets a fire lit under our asses.

I'd say a big part of the problem is that not enough people are panicked right now.

[–] stabby_cicada@slrpnk.net 34 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I'm in the United States. Conservatives are currently pivoting to their new "climate change is inevitable, and therefore we must seal our borders to protect America from climate migrants and give more subsidies to big corporations and fossil fuel companies whose technology will maintain our standard of living" talking point.

The more people panic about climate change, the more persuasive that argument becomes.

Human rights are one of the first things to vanish in disasters. When people are scared, they agree to give up their rights. When people are scared, they close their eyes as the government violates other people's rights.

And the more frightened people are about climate change, the more they'll turn to authoritarian demagogues who promise them safety.

Hope is vital. Because once people give up hope of saving the planet, all that's left is an ever more vicious scramble for ever fewer resources. And once you decide that's an inevitability, the only logical thing to do is get vicious as fast as possible.

[–] PopOfAfrica@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

If the options are what you claim panic causes, or doing nothing, then I guess we are well and truly boned.

[–] go_go_gadget@lemmy.world 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Hope is vital.

What hope? Joe Biden is forcing federal workers to drive into work and apparently we have to vote for him anyway. What hope?

[–] stabby_cicada@slrpnk.net 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

In the grand scale of atrocities against humanity and the environment, I think driving to work is pretty low.

[–] go_go_gadget@lemmy.world 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This is your idea of spreading hope?

[–] ex_06@slrpnk.net 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Panic without hope does nothing but accelerating issues

[–] PopOfAfrica@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sure but the inverse is true too. Right now we have hope without panic. That translates to waiting for someone to come along and fix it for us.

[–] ex_06@slrpnk.net 3 points 8 months ago

Agree :)