11 ms·

Show HN: I built a climate change app

18 points by tiagorbf 5y ago

meristohm 5y ago
It’s a step. While our personal actions matter, unless I am in control of a major pollution source (energy, transportation, agriculture, ?) does it make more sense to put effort into changing the rules for everyone?
- itake 5y ago
  I think the app missed a big one, but not having children would massively reduce your carbon imprint.
  - armatav 5y ago
    Except that’s a biological imperative.
  - machello13 5y ago
    If the earth's population suddenly dropped to 0, that would help global warming a lot too. Does that mean we should do it?
  - over_bridge 5y ago
    Not having kids always struck me as a short sighted solution (not saying you are specifically advocating for it but there are those that do). One/two/three less people will have negligible impact but if the most environmentally aware people are the ones not having children, not passing on their values, the next generation will be missing their voices. Fixing this is a relay race through the generations, not a sprint for an individual or couple. If anything, the most environmentally aware of us should have more kids than average to help dilute the ranks of ignorant people and boost overall awareness. That would lead to higher chances of good leadership in 2060 and beyond.
- alecst 5y ago
  That's how I feel too. During the peak of the US and European lockdowns, back in April of last year, daily emissions fell by like only 10-20%.[1] Tells quite a story about how much our personal actions matter. [1] You can just google it.
jfengel 5y ago
Is it a bitcoin miner? Oh, you mean a climate change prevention app.
crazypython 5y ago
One big source of climate damage, especially in the United States, is food waste. The average American throws away a third of their food. The culture and TV treat food waste as normal.
- machello13 5y ago
  How much "food waste" is done by individuals instead of corporations?
  - crazypython 5y ago
    Plenty. Uneaten leftovers, rotten food...
    - machello13 5y ago
      Right, I was looking for an actual statistical answer based on data. Obviously there are instances of individual food waste, my point is that maybe we can make a much larger impact by focusing on food waste at corporations and restaurants.
- amackera 5y ago
  Gonna need a source on this before I believe it. I'm skeptical food waste plays a major role in GHG emissions. Last I checked, burning fossil fuels and making plastic accounted for the vast majority of harmful emissions.
  - crazypython 5y ago
    Food is produced primarily with fossil fuels. > The American food supply is driven almost entirely by non-renewable energy sources and accounts for approximately 19% of the total use of fossil fuels in the United States. https://sustainability.emory.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/InfoSheet-Energy26FoodProduction.pdf https://sustainability.emory.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/... Buying local and eating less meat is social signalling. Wasting less food is making personal sacrifices for the environment.
readonthegoapp 5y ago
Appreciate the effort sort of but misguided Our personal choices, imo, matter approximately zero That's always controversial to say but I feel like the evidence bears it out There is prob a report out there somewhere that says "well actually, personal choice does, in fact, matter a little bit" To which we have to ask "Well how much is a little bit, and is it worth parroting the oil industry's 60-year old propaganda message that personal choice, not policy, matters?'
- ffggvv 5y ago
  personal choice does matter. but people are lazy and entitled and would rather government force someone else to fix the issue for them so they can have a good conscience without changing their lifestyle at all. you actually need both. not just one or the other
  - tiagorbf 5y ago
    I agree with you. However, I am not sure if is only people being entitled, I believe that the problem is also connected with the lack of knowledge. We were always told that is not up to the individual to worry about climate change but to the politicians and companies. That and the fact that it is a very complex problem to solve serves as a great argument for people to "ignore" the problem
    - readonthegoapp 5y ago
      we were always told that is it is _not_ up to the individual?? it seems there's a pretty long history of the opposite: https://www.vox.com/22429551/climate-change-crisis-exxonmobil-harvard-study https://www.vox.com/22429551/climate-change-crisis-exxonmobi... this would mirror the strategy of Republicans, generally, Big Food (get that exercise, kiddos!), etc. it's not 'the system' that is responsible, and certainly not big corporations or the oligopolies or the billionaires or the elite, it's _you_.

18 points by tiagorbf 5y ago

It’s a step. While our personal actions matter, unless I am in control of a major pollution source (energy, transportation, agriculture, ?) does it make more sense to put effort into changing the rules for everyone?

itake 5y ago
I think the app missed a big one, but not having children would massively reduce your carbon imprint.
- armatav 5y ago
  Except that’s a biological imperative.
- machello13 5y ago
  If the earth's population suddenly dropped to 0, that would help global warming a lot too. Does that mean we should do it?
- over_bridge 5y ago
  Not having kids always struck me as a short sighted solution (not saying you are specifically advocating for it but there are those that do). One/two/three less people will have negligible impact but if the most environmentally aware people are the ones not having children, not passing on their values, the next generation will be missing their voices. Fixing this is a relay race through the generations, not a sprint for an individual or couple. If anything, the most environmentally aware of us should have more kids than average to help dilute the ranks of ignorant people and boost overall awareness. That would lead to higher chances of good leadership in 2060 and beyond.
alecst 5y ago
That's how I feel too. During the peak of the US and European lockdowns, back in April of last year, daily emissions fell by like only 10-20%.[1] Tells quite a story about how much our personal actions matter. [1] You can just google it.

jfengel 5y ago

Is it a bitcoin miner? Oh, you mean a climate change prevention app.

crazypython 5y ago

One big source of climate damage, especially in the United States, is food waste. The average American throws away a third of their food. The culture and TV treat food waste as normal.

machello13 5y ago
How much "food waste" is done by individuals instead of corporations?
- crazypython 5y ago
  Plenty. Uneaten leftovers, rotten food...
  - machello13 5y ago
    Right, I was looking for an actual statistical answer based on data. Obviously there are instances of individual food waste, my point is that maybe we can make a much larger impact by focusing on food waste at corporations and restaurants.
amackera 5y ago
Gonna need a source on this before I believe it. I'm skeptical food waste plays a major role in GHG emissions. Last I checked, burning fossil fuels and making plastic accounted for the vast majority of harmful emissions.
- crazypython 5y ago
  Food is produced primarily with fossil fuels. > The American food supply is driven almost entirely by non-renewable energy sources and accounts for approximately 19% of the total use of fossil fuels in the United States. https://sustainability.emory.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/InfoSheet-Energy26FoodProduction.pdf https://sustainability.emory.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/... Buying local and eating less meat is social signalling. Wasting less food is making personal sacrifices for the environment.

readonthegoapp 5y ago

Appreciate the effort sort of but misguided Our personal choices, imo, matter approximately zero That's always controversial to say but I feel like the evidence bears it out There is prob a report out there somewhere that says "well actually, personal choice does, in fact, matter a little bit" To which we have to ask "Well how much is a little bit, and is it worth parroting the oil industry's 60-year old propaganda message that personal choice, not policy, matters?'

ffggvv 5y ago
personal choice does matter. but people are lazy and entitled and would rather government force someone else to fix the issue for them so they can have a good conscience without changing their lifestyle at all. you actually need both. not just one or the other
- tiagorbf 5y ago
  I agree with you. However, I am not sure if is only people being entitled, I believe that the problem is also connected with the lack of knowledge. We were always told that is not up to the individual to worry about climate change but to the politicians and companies. That and the fact that it is a very complex problem to solve serves as a great argument for people to "ignore" the problem
  - readonthegoapp 5y ago
    we were always told that is it is _not_ up to the individual?? it seems there's a pretty long history of the opposite: https://www.vox.com/22429551/climate-change-crisis-exxonmobil-harvard-study https://www.vox.com/22429551/climate-change-crisis-exxonmobi... this would mirror the strategy of Republicans, generally, Big Food (get that exercise, kiddos!), etc. it's not 'the system' that is responsible, and certainly not big corporations or the oligopolies or the billionaires or the elite, it's _you_.