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?

Since the biggest contributor to environmental destruction is overpopulation by demanding humanity , without addressing that issue we are treating symptoms not cause. But change will only come when more people are concerned than otherwise, many small efforts amount to a big difference.

It doesn't sound great, although the people I know whose actions are worst for the environment are people who would never think about climate change or pollution or plastics. They would never mention it because they are too selfish to care and their actions reflect that.

It's really difficult when you work somewhere and see the waste that goes in the bin and the people can't be bothered to recycle a plastic bottle despite there being bins nearby

I try to recycle as much as I can and take the extra plastics to the supermarket (all packaging)

Try not to buy excess stuff and reuse. Never buy takeaways

I think people need to have dc due to workforce etc

Yes. I don’t drive, use public transport, walk or cycle, am vegetarian, have one child by choice, recycle, compost, buy my produce from a local farm, buy firewood from a local farmer who is felling woods by hand after ash die-back, am planting my garden with trees and pollinator-friendly plants, buy very few clothes, no fast fashion. Absolutely, I’m by no means irreproachable (I should be vegan, I still fly occasionally), but I agree that perfection shouldn’t be the enemy of the good.

It's fine to care but still take scheduled flight or two, it is hypocritical to make huge public statements about the environment then take a private jet! Yesterday on flight radar you could see a stream of gulfstream, Lear etc jets taking the wealthy back stateside from Davos - why didn't they share a charter larger plane!!!

@Nextdoor55 I agree with you but unfortunately most people will complain of any financial impact to themselves. Most people if faced with paying £2 more for a sustainable product will not do so. I can see why companies won't take this risk. It would have to come from the government through fines or sanctions.

@VenusClapTrap

Well put. We are human therefore we make choices that aren't perfect

I care a lot about the environment. Haven't flown for 15 years, have solar panels, very plastic conscious (not zero waste but have got far in that direction at times) however nothing is perfect. If people who care get called hypocrites for leading a normal western lifestyle how will anything ever change? Eco consumerism is expensive: round here the zero waste shop and farmers market cost around double the price of shopping in Lidl. People can only do what they can do.

Environmentalism, like most most leftie ideologies, is basically a new status symbol. It’s a way for people show that they are more virtuous, better than everyone else. They do it go fashion, nothing else.

Except, the moral intellect they they think they are showing falls apart in no time leaving looking really stupid.

Like when they fly around all over the place but lecture the mere mortals for taking a holiday abroad. When they protest for a hobby because they don’t need a real job because they are bored pensioners of have the trust fund from mummy and daddy to support them.

To be honest, these rabid, lecturing environmentalists come across as a bit dense.

I suspect most people realise that their actions make practically zero difference when there are firms like Amazon sending out millions of parcels a day, or billionaires flying half hour trips in their private jets.

For me, it's not that I don't care, it's that I don't see the point in doing anything when it makes no difference anyway. You need to fix the big stuff, not the fact that Susan doesn't recycle her yogurt pots or that Ben flies to Europe twice a year for his holidays.

Serious question, how does it feel to know that you are wasting your time with this ideology?

Nothing, but nothing, makes a blind bit of difference to the climate. UK accounts for less than 1% of emissions.

You may feel better for all the things you are doing, it is completely pointless though.

Sustainability is all about small steps.

A vast number of people taking small steps to lesson their impact on the environment does more good than one doing everything, and the rest making no changes .

I also suspect people who use sustainability as a reason to not di something ( eg travel ) are using it as an excuse, and cost is the real factor.

YANBU.

People are happy doing the simple/cheap things that don't really affect them, but expect everyone else to do the hard stuff.

Just like tax - everyone wants more taxes raised for public services, but they don't want to pay themselves, they want "other people" to pay more tax!

Hypocrites.

I think people should do what they can. Or, preferably, a bit more than they think they can. And I think accusing people who fall short of hypocrisy is deeply unhelpful, and in my experience is something people say as a "get out of jail card" for themselves.

I think generally people have learned what to say by group think. So they say what they think they should, therefore it doesnt necessarily accord with what they actually do

Even if everyone in the UK did everything they possibly could, it would make absolutely no difference on any kind of global scale. We're practically irrelevant when it comes to our impact on the planet.

For interest, the UK is responsible for 1.1% of global emissions.
China is responsible for 28%.

Even if every single one of us changed our habits, nothing would actually change in the global scheme of things.

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/uk-and-global-emissions-and-temperature-trends/#:~:text=The%20UK%20ranked%2017th,followed%20by%20transport%20with%2025%25.

I suspect affordability comes into it as well. I’d love to buy expensive clothing that lasts for years, or drive a more environmentally friendly car, or live in a house powered by solar panels.
But the reality is that I’m renting, broke, and don’t want to be cold on top of everything else, so I’ll be putting the electric heating on and not feel guilty.
And when I fly to go on the one holiday I get every 2 years, I’ll buy a couple of cheap bikinis before I go.
And I’ll be driving to the airport in my 20yo car because it’s the car I can afford.

Sustainability is a luxury.

Also, I’m not planning to have kids, and that’s probably the biggest contribution I can make 🤷‍♀️

Its also the case that people are looked down on if their position is that they dont want to do anything or dont want to make those considerations. Or like me they believe that climate change is inevitable and has been since there were humans on the earth (and before) and its just part of the changes that will come and go. Humans may come and go, like other species we might die out, we might not.

I don't think it's hypocritical to do what you can, without being perfect. And I don't think that not being perfect means you shouldn't bother at all.
As long as you aren't then lecturing other people.

Yes, but a lot of our habits contribute to china's emissions, because of the crap we buy from there. We've outsourced our emissions so we can pat ourselves on the back and think "well done us, we don't need to do anything more, we can continue as we are and smugly criticise China"

Only one holiday flight every 2 years
Taking care of things to get the maximum life to save your money

These are great sustainability choices

Home heating is a national problem

People don't always realise when they are doing well

Kinda think what’s the point when the USA exists. Trump has just shat all over the environment. I see online images of them driving everywhere rather than walking or using public transport and cooking videos using disposable cookware.we can’t counteract that!

I think for me, practising what I 'preach' isn't really an issue because I'm not doing any preaching. I basically don't really talk about environmental issues, partly because the whole topic makes me incredibly anxious and also because I am not at all a confrontational or persuasive person. I'm not a campaigner. So I quietly admire people who are doing much better than me for the planet, and quietly judge those who I see as particularly excessive in their consumption and waste,

I drive an electric car (and yes I know there are still issues with their production and the disposal of the batteries), and have solar panels. We don't buy fast fashion or buy much stuff at all really. We all buy from Vinted and charity shops or ethical/sustainable brands.

But we're not vegan or vegetarian and we fly probably 7 out of 10 years (though very rarely more than one return flight in a year). And we all have smart phones in my house (assuming most of the people on this thread have too).

@dontcrowdthemushrooms By not having children, you are absolutely doing your bit.