To believe most people who say they care about the environment are hypocrites?

[SharpUmberLeader]

I hear so many people talk about reducing waste or going green but they still fly multiple times a year, buy fast fashion, or order takeaway in plastic containers. AIBU to think most people aren’t actually practicing what they preach about sustainability?

YANBU. Businesses usually use 'sustainability' as an excuse for things that save them money.

I think most people are hypocrites (me included)

I think it's probably a protective mechanism to help us feel we have control over something that is (on an individual level) uncontrollable.

I think it's a balance. Surely it's good for people to care about the environment and make SOME changes, rather than not care and make no changes?

I try my best. I can’t do everything, but I can do some things. I don’t buy fast fashion or use takeaway coffee cups, but I do fly once a year because my parents live abroad.
I’m not perfect, no one is, but I figure that taking some steps to help is better than taking none at all.

To a certain extent. It is very difficult to live in the modern West without a sizeable carbon footprint. But I don’t think it’s hypocritical to be environmentally-conscious even if you’re not reaching perfection.

I think they probably do care about the environment, but only to the point that they are not seriously inconvenienced.

We're living a pretty sustainable life, I'm teaching my children the same, and I work in the environmental sector. Most people I know who say they care about the environment make a decent effort to live it.

I wish we were. We fly once a year. Only have one car despite living rurally and don't use takeaways with plastic boxes.
We buy clothes second hand where possible, sell on via Vinted.

We always consider eco products and use those refillable places despite it being a total ball ache instead of ordering on Ocado or whatever.

You can probably tell this eco drive is driven my other members of my household. I would willingly get another car, have more holidays and have my spices and dry pasta delivered.

Celebrities are the worst for this.
I take no notice really.
I have overthinking tendencies and with 2 small children to care for, I have to protect my mind from excess negativity and doom scrolling.
I do what I can- I'm vegan, don't buy fast fashion, I recycle and try and buy 2nd hand as much as I can, I attempt to be minimalist. Haven't flown for years not for environmental reasons if I'm perfectly honest.
I do however drive and own a car, use disposable nappies, use bleach, might buy convenience food when out and about, I buy bottled water. Probably loads of things. If it makes me a hypocrite so be it. I do what I can in the ways that I can, but not to the detriment of my own physical and mental health. We need change on a bigger level for example, legislation for manufacturers etc.

But you have children. More than one?

I think many people try and do what they can but ultimately many of us are hypocritical. I don’t drive, don’t fly, reuse and recycle as much as possible and try not to produce too much waste but then I have 3!dc. Humans aren’t perfect, some try harder than others.

I think OP is just making excuses for leaving a huge carbon footprint and doing nothing for the environment herself.

This is usually the case for people making that statement or the "it doesn't matter as long as China still pollutes" statement.

Fine. But then please refrain from complaining about the increased number of floodings and storms.

I don't want to hear a peep from you when Britain start getting refugees from countries that have become fully submerged due to the rising seas.

Oh and I also drive a car, as my autistic child cannot cope with public transport, but it is electric.
OP do you think it would be better if I just said ‘fuck it’ and stopped making any changes, just so I don’t risk being thought of as a hypocrite?

My climate preaching in-laws say they care about the environment. They are vegan because they worry about the effect of cow farts on the atmosphere. Moved to the edge of a city so they can use public transport more etc. But they go on holidays abroad (flying) at least twice a year, and regularly drive to Scotland all the way from Somerset to visit relatives. Sometimes I think a lot of this is just a load of virtue signalling. A lot of the so-called celebs preach about climate change too. And the next thing you know they are flying all around the world on various jollies or taking helicopter rides to flashy weddings.

I think it's close to impossible to do all the right things in terms of sustainability - modern life doesn't work like that and most people are so busy and tired they'll use some conveniences, whether that's products that come in plastic or taking the car.

Change needs to happen at the systemic level and most of us have zero influence there so we do what we can and accept the rest.

I only have one life. I intend to do my bit for the environment by doing the bits that are easiest to encorporate into my daily life as it currently is.

I will not make my life harder for "environmentalism" when I and anyone I care about will be dead by the time it matters.

Participating in the world as it is doesn’t mean that you can’t try to improve it.

I hate the attitude that unless you are living a Stone Age existence you might as well give up entirely. There are things we can all do. It’s right to try to do what you can surely. Wouldn’t preach at anyone but we stopped at 2/have an EV/reduce meat consumption/ refill shampoo conditioner etc/ cycle a lot/buy second hand clothes but not always/milk in milk bottles. We do fly sometimes though. We tried not flying but travel to the sun without flying was gruelling and expensive

I think you’ve jumped to conclusions about me without knowing anything about my actions or lifestyle. My point was to question the gap between what people say and what they do regarding environmental care - not to absolve myself or anyone else of responsibility.

This isn’t about shifting blame to other countries or denying the seriousness of the issue. It’s about reflecting on how we can genuinely align our actions with our words, rather than using environmentalism as a label without meaningful changes. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable observation to make.

I think the issues at stake are far too important to allow purity spirals dominate the narrative. When a problem seems too complex it paralyses instead of promoting action.

If as many people as possible do something we will achieve more than if a small number of really determined and committed people do a lot.

If many people identify as being concerned about climate, that promotes political change. A small number of purists cannot drive political change at that level.

Producers care about what consumers think of their products, now more than ever in this era of economic disruption. If consumers identify as caring about climate that affects the decisions of the relatively small minority of people who can really steer change.

But one of the most unhelpful things you can do is point out people’s failings when they’re trying to change because human nature isn’t to try harder to please the impossible to please; it’s to give up entirely.

Always baffles me when people point the finger at “big business” and China. Who do you think their customers are?!? Who is buying all the crap China pollutes to make?! Us!

We’re just imperfect aren’t we?

I’m vegetarian and no fast fashion here. But I’m not vegan. I fly in planes. I drive a car. I’m imperfect.

I’m always very put off by people who see the flaws in others but not themselves. Are you concerned about your own imperfection or only everybody else’s?

I think we are all self-serving hypocrites all the time to varying degrees.

Exactly. We do what we can.
I don't want a shit life with no holidays. I can't cope with 20 hours on a coach and can't afford long distance trains so sometimes I fly.

Now we are talking about the environment and how it is the politicians and the companies who need to change: There was s study in the nineties stating that it takes on average 300 letters complaining about something to get politicians or companies to change something.

A couple of years ago I wrote to both Asda and Tesco and suggested that they started selling rice, beans, oats and pasta in cardboard boxes or paper instead of in plastic. I notice there has been a small change in that direction for some of their products but if some of you also wrote to them maybe?

I contacted both companies over Messenger.