I mean I'd say organizing to overthrow the socioeconomic system causing climate change is the most productive thing you can do but I suppose that does involve taking to people yes.
It’s not the system it’s the corporations. The government telling coke and Pepsi to stop using plastic would do more for climate change and the environment in a month than if everyone recycled all plastics forever
If you think government decisions are independent of corporations, you've not been paying attention ( US, UK, but pretty much every other state on the planet).
They are both part of the same system designed to keep you working for their profit, and they both need getting rid of.
Frankly based on the numbers outright, the most useful thing you can do is murder a billionaire. If it becomes a trend or a meme to do so it's the only thing I can see having any effect. Fear & public accountability is really the only skeleton that holds the body of voting power together. If government & corporations are'nt afraid of their people, then they're not beholden to them.
I only see direct harassment as efficient, or even functional, if it produces fear. Fear is the only thing that influences these people's decisions over money and power. It's really the basis of the people's power. Fear that we'll get too angry.
Shoutout to the homies at the Citizen's Climate Lobby, where you can take like 5 minutes to fill in a mostly pre-written message to your reps and tell them to fucking act on climate legislation. Dunno if it's cool to post links, but this just takes you to it with no hassle (also don't trust strangers' links on the internet; you can google "citizens climate lobby write congress" and get to the same destination):
If you're doing nothing else about climate change, at least do this. You've got five fucking minutes to spare to help sound the alarm bell if you're browsing a comment section. Don't be a doomer who doesn't actually do anything, otherwise you're just ruining your own day for no reason.
I think that has a lot to do with most climate related talking points being about personal responsibility and how "every little helps" while ignoring the pollution spewing monsters that are militaries and corporation chugging along in the background (and this is, of course, by design - get the people pointing fingers at each other while those at the top continue to exploit us all and destroy the planet).
So it doesn't only feel futile, it is futile to try and change individuals, when those actually responsible do nothing to change their ways lest they bring in 1 billion in profit instead of 5. No amount of recycling, taking a bus, going vegan, or even going completely zero waste is going to actually change anything (nothing wrong with those things, still do them if you like, I do some myself, but be realistic about the impact. For truly impactful change, the whole thing need abolishing, there is no reforming a system that is working exactly as intended.).
Oh shit thank you for reminding me. This idea that it's our individual responsibility to prevent climate change rather than our largest producers/manufactures was a goddamn marketing ploy in the 1920s. It was spear headed by disposable companies like Dixie as people were getting more upset about littering, the public thought companies making one use items was incredibly wasteful and the reason for an abundance of litter in city areas. With the companies PR efforts, they were able to convince the general public that it's not the producers of the litter that cause the problem, but the people who use it. We had a chance to kill the disposable industry and we missed it, I hope it comes back around some day.
Everything is temporary. Let's just enjoy our lives while we're here.
I don't mean this as an excuse to make the situation worse, but I would rather live thinking positively than waste my time and effort stressing and being depressed. A person that stressed out can't effectively help solve the problem anyway, so why not be happy in the present while also building solutions for the future.
We’ve past the point where we have the space to look for solutions in the future. We need solutions NOW. Every single day that people spend not thinking about how fucked we are is another in which we become even more fucked. Anger is a tool, use it. Get everyone you know angry. When angry people come together, they’re far more powerful than any group of people pushing for civility politics. Anger is not a bad emotion. No emotions are bad. Seeking to feel happiness all the time is seeking to stick your head in the sand.
Your comment reminds me of MLKs white moderate bit, in that it seems you prefer the absence of tension to the positive peace of Justice.
I totally get the frustration with people like me, but I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree. Over the years I've learned my capacity for anger, and I choose to try to be happy instead.
Keep fighting the good fight, though. I have no doubt the world will come around to your point of view given time.