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?

I do more than most to be sustainable but without doubt I could do more. The thing is my changes or the changes of all my community have such little impact compared to the actions of 1 large corporation. It makes me feel a bit silly. I recycled coffee pods because I felt guilty switching to them from instant but then learned some coffee chains don't even bother, I switched from bottled shampoos to solid but found them too hard to buy so gave up. I have a subscription for organic plastic free period products but no one else seems to care about the wrapping. I buy fruit and veg in a shop that has no packaging but have to drive to get there, my local shop has everything in plastic. I never ever buy from cheap Chinese competitors or big delivery companies like Amazon for moral reasons but my employer gets stuff all the time which I use, I've also received presents from people who shop on these sites so I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle every day. So yeah call me a hypocrite but I'm flying to Spain this Summer and will enjoy my holiday.

I'm not sure whether it is hypocrisy or stupidity. I was listening to a podcast where the hosts were talking about the California fires and other climate events and practically foaming at the mouth at the failure of governments to address the climate crisis.

Five minutes later they were discussing their upcoming transatlantic shopping trip to New York. No consciousness of any relevance to what they had just been discussing. And these are not stupid people - they just believe Somebody Else is responsible for fixing things.

For me the issue is that people will be weird to others about it i.e. criticise the decisions of others because "environment" while ignoring their own

don't get me started on the lack of knowledge (from people who shout a lot about paper) on electric cars, use of AI etc. if you're going to lecture other people, then at least know your subject.

I try to live sustainability and less wastefully. I'm not going to list the things that I do because most people only ever do that to virtue signal. What I don't do is lecture other people on what they should be doing because the type that do are usually the biggest hypocrites of all.

This.

We need to stop bickering amongst ourselves and all pull together. Humans are smart surely we can still have fulfilling lives whilst doing what we can?

I would support flight rationing so you can still fly for your holidays but not all the bloody time. And agree surely supermarkets should be able to massively reduce packaging if we took our own containers for dried goods etc. Would be a slight pain but doable for most. We have an EV we can’t charge at home yes it’s a minor pain but we adapt our habits to charge it and it’s fine.

Most people don't live sustainably at all & some think they do but aren't.
The fact is we are using natural resources far quicker than we can replace them. We will need 3 extra planets to keep living the way we are & even places like BedZED in Sutton aren't going to save the planet - people who are very keen to make a difference & live there we'll still need 1.7 planets extra to cope if everyone did what they do (no cars, reuse, grow own veg etc).
There's no real answer, really we all need to challenge the big organisations who are exploiting the environment to stop & find other ways, even Extinction rebellion offer just raising our awareness, throwing environmentally friendly paint at the Mona Lisa only goes so far (she's a bit boring now isn't she anyway).
Challenging the higher ups isn't easy because they're just making money & don't really care.

I think you're right but I also think there's a lot of confusion - perhaps deliberately generated.

One of the big push back from the drive to recycle - Welsh gov aiming for 70% from every council - is oh we should generate less. It's not wrong we should generate less - but if packaging is too spare damage to good rise and you lose more in returns and moving those round that you save. Improving packaging and recycling is needed but people try and pit them against each other.

Only 20% of our recycling gets recycled. 20% !! Because the materials aren't recyclable, it just goes to landfill.

I have 2 electric cars, solar panels with 6 batteries, heat pump heating and a heat pump tumble dryer. I don’t do it for the environment but because it makes my life far easier. I’m not really bothered if you think I’m a hypocrite.

I think we're past the point of no return anyway, the amount of collaboration from governments across the world that would be needed to start seriously tackling the issue of climate change is beyond what will happen.
We are consuming everything on earth at a huge rate and until it seriously all falls down around the wests ears it won't be taken seriously, and by then it will
be far too late. Why ever Growth is still the measure of how somewhere is doing, we will never stop it

Me, I try and do the bits that don't inconvenience my life, but I'm not living a crappy existence for it, I'm going to travel the world and have some amazing experiences, buy some occasional fast fashion and have coffee in a takeaway cup. If others want to live differently then that's their choice and I'm happy for them.

You can care about the environment and still do very little to change your own behaviour. So yes, that's pretty hypocritical, but it's also really hard, inconvenient and expensive to make the massive changes that are required of each of us to reduce our carbon footprint to as close to zero as possible.

I recommend that anyone with an even passing interest in this finds an online 'carbon calculator' and gets an idea of their own carbon footprint and then looks at all the things they'd need to do, change and remove from their life to achieve carbon neutrality. It's very eye-opening and utterly depressing!

I get annoyed about all the supermarkets and stores that bang on about sustainability but supply or allow their suppliers to supply products to be poached in ridiculously excessive packaging.

So much food is put in packaging that's designed to make the product look bigger. It's pathetic. You can bag vacuumed packed meat in Marks and in Waitrose that has the vac pac packing on it and is then packaged in a cardboard box.

Ready meals, Crackers, biscuits and other similar products may need a little protective packaging around them but nothing like what they have.

Transport costs, materials costs, storage costs and handling cost would all decrease if there was less packaging. I'd also end up with more space in my fridge, freezer and cupboards.

It's SO ANNOYING

Also I think a lot of people don't care about the environment but they can't say that in public.

I don't buy much and have a low carbon footprint by default. But people who go on at me about the environment would literally groan at the thought of living the way I do.

They really seem to think their overflowing recycling bin is something to be proud of.

I find packaging amendments to be really annoying. Flimsy and useless. Paper straws - my parents have really needed a drinking straw in various hospitalisations ...all based on a faux "helping the environment" premise. Meanwhile, look at population figures and the impact of planned obsolescence. Or the myriad of other things you can look at.

I think most people do care but really the big changes need to be policy driven to create a change in culture. Your example of takeaways for example, a lot do use recyclable packaging, this should be put into policy like straws and plastic bags.

People will be creating their carbon footprint in different ways, some may fly but also be child free. Some may be vegan while others may be trying to eat local. The little things add up.

What isn't going to help the cause is people being a martyr about giving up flying and then sneering at other people about it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c511344v959o

Wales is listed just behind Austria in the global rankings, with both countries managing to recycle 59% of their waste.

...

The Welsh government is aiming for Wales to be recycling, reusing or composting 70% of its waste by 2025 and be a "zero waste nation" by 2050.
Latest statistics suggest that of the 155kg of household waste each person in Wales sends to landfill annually, most of it could be recycled.

I'm not sure Wales will get there - nor I am I wild about a very small black general waste bin and 3 week collection and the corresponding rise in fly tipping in area.

I agree. I try and do what I can but we still have a car and fly into planes so I accept I’m a total hypocrite.

They could be in the same sort of packaging as flour, which surely needs to be kept just as dry etc…

I try to be a nice person but sometimes I gossip.
I try to be a good parent but sometimes I shout.
I try to eat healthily but sometimes I buy a creme egg.
I try to make environmentally sound choices but sometimes I fly.

I am human, I am flawed.

Yes I'm in Wales too. But what I mean is that even with the recycling we put out only 20% is recycled. It's not good

More of the conversation about the environment should be about energy and national security in the face of climate change's direct and indirect effects.

Everyone is a hypocrite and whilst it's good to try to live sustainably it's impossible due to the system we are forced to live within. Let's not let perfection be the enemy of the good. Everyone can make an effort, so pointing out hypocrisy is a cop out. Our efforts are best spent targeting government and big fossil fuel emitters.

This.

Even if true it still better than not recycling anything.

Honestly we need recycling and reduced packaging.

I care more about packaging that I once did because it's more of an issue for us getting rid of it. That at some point going to filter back up supply chain but there a balance to increasing waste and reducing packaging.

We need both electric cars and in urban areas much better public transport systems. We need more efficient use of energy and more green energy ( and way to store renewable and/or some plan to fill in time gaps).

So many people make it its' an either or - when it lots and lots of little changes and many big ones which need governments as well are all needed It's the whole not letting the ideal get in way of the good option..

You forget to include 'having multiple children'.

Was that accident on a parenting site?