Doing literally nothing to reduce fossil fuels would be better than the thing we are currently doing, which is subsidising them. Really puts into perspective all the climate "promises".
We absolutely should be ending subsidies on fossil fuels, the meat industry, and other polluters. This will cause a ripple effect on the cost of everyday items and the standard of living globally, so of course there will be those that say it can't be done. The problem is the game of musical chairs will eventually end, either when we're completely fucked or at a time of our choosing.
Ask they have to do is scale back 1% the first year, 2% the next, etc. The second it looks like a long term investment won't pay off they'll stop making them. Then we'll see supply chain issues slowly increase which will force fleet vehicle purchases over to electric or hydrogen faster.
That will spread into the personal vehicle market.
Demand will reduce for IC vehicles and so on.
You don't need to make massive changes to have a big impact over time. The problem is every thinking this will get you shouted down by almost anyone with real money.
The thing to do is also incentivize them to invest in the new, growing opportunities but again they want too, but without giving anything up.
Is the purpose of these subsidies to maintain oil and gas infrastructure so that the military can also use it?
If the infrastructure is necessary for defense but not necessary for civilian use then it sounds like it should be paid for via tax, be maintained by the government, and counted as defense spending.
This would increase the military's fuel cost (to the true cost) and higher gas prices brought about by ending the subsidies would incentivize lower carbon transportation methods for civilians.
We all have an interest in overproducing crops. If, say, Florida becomes an aquarium, or there's a disease that wipes out a lot of a particular monoculture, we don't want a ridiculous spike in food prices (or worse).
we look to be at a point where it doesnt matter how quickly we move, we cant mitigate them now (at least not the problems we will face over the next 50 years or so). We made our bed, now we have to lie in it. And im not saying its too late therefore do nothing, there is still worse cases we can try to avoid.
Sorry when I said “the planet” I meant more like the delicate ecosystems and life cycles will be fucked. We’re already starting to see signs of it with all the various population collapses.