As an individual, it’s a drop in the ocean, yes. But done collectively at scale, those drops become a meaningful difference. In regards to animal meat, if we collectively switch to plant based options, we literally strangle the means for the animal industry to pollute. It’s a form of direct action that anyone can partake in. Even just opting for chicken instead of red meat, if done collevtively, would result in substantial decreases in emissions.
I think the zeitgeist is beginning to shift, and we can help move it along with our own collective effort, and leading by example in our own communities (online or offline).
I don’t disagree that stopping the majority of emissions at their source (corporations) is the ultimate end goal, but as you say, we don’t know when that will happen. Could be in 3 years, could be in a decade or two.
I’m advocating we do what we can to buy us (and especially the poorest and most vulnerable populations) a little more time while we wait for that major reckoning to happen. Besides, if we’re collectively unwilling to even give up a little bit of beef in favor of plants or chicken, that doesn’t bode well for us when the time comes to make much bigger sacrifices to take on those big polluters, and capitalism itself.
If we make society more egalitarian someday, we’ll still ultimately have to rely on people becoming informed of what we need to do to save the planet from climate change, and then enact those things in their lives willingly themselves. There’s no real reason we shouldn’t be a part of that change now, rather than wait.
And I do want to emphasize how incredibly good Impossible meat is as an extremely convenient drop-in replacement for ground beef or steak bites. It often goes on sale, which brings the price down to be fairly comparable to animal meat. If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly suggest picking some up when you see some on sale, it makes the transition away from animal meat much much easier, as it allows you to continue to use all of your existing recipes. Quorn is another really solid option that’s comparable in price to animal meat, and when cooked with some beef or chicken stock, tastes very, very similarly to real meat in a recipe.
As an individual, it’s a drop in the ocean, yes. But done collectively at scale, those drops become a meaningful difference. In regards to animal meat, if we collectively switch to plant based options, we literally strangle the means for the animal industry to pollute. It’s a form of direct action that anyone can partake in. Even just opting for chicken instead of red meat, if done collevtively, would result in substantial decreases in emissions.
You’re not wrong but getting everyone to collectively do anything is damn near impossible without laws or maybe shame to enforce it.
Alternatively, we can do something about the corporations that are doing the best majority of the polluting in the first place.
Admittedly the later option, under the current regime, would require measures that most people don’t seem to be comfortable with yet.
I think the zeitgeist is beginning to shift, and we can help move it along with our own collective effort, and leading by example in our own communities (online or offline).
I don’t disagree that stopping the majority of emissions at their source (corporations) is the ultimate end goal, but as you say, we don’t know when that will happen. Could be in 3 years, could be in a decade or two.
I’m advocating we do what we can to buy us (and especially the poorest and most vulnerable populations) a little more time while we wait for that major reckoning to happen. Besides, if we’re collectively unwilling to even give up a little bit of beef in favor of plants or chicken, that doesn’t bode well for us when the time comes to make much bigger sacrifices to take on those big polluters, and capitalism itself.
If we make society more egalitarian someday, we’ll still ultimately have to rely on people becoming informed of what we need to do to save the planet from climate change, and then enact those things in their lives willingly themselves. There’s no real reason we shouldn’t be a part of that change now, rather than wait.
And I do want to emphasize how incredibly good Impossible meat is as an extremely convenient drop-in replacement for ground beef or steak bites. It often goes on sale, which brings the price down to be fairly comparable to animal meat. If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly suggest picking some up when you see some on sale, it makes the transition away from animal meat much much easier, as it allows you to continue to use all of your existing recipes. Quorn is another really solid option that’s comparable in price to animal meat, and when cooked with some beef or chicken stock, tastes very, very similarly to real meat in a recipe.