Absolutely, targeting activism towards the lifestyles of the rich is a crucial step in addressing the issue of higher CO2 emissions and climate change. It’s not about vilifying individuals, but rather recognizing that certain lifestyles contribute significantly to environmental harm.
Focusing solely on the lower and middle class isn’t the solution, as they are the ones who often bear the brunt of climate change impacts and economic adjustments. What might be considered “luxury” for them is often just basic necessities, and their livelihoods are directly affected by climate-related changes.
On the other hand, the elite and super elites can afford to make substantial changes to their lifestyles without sacrificing their basic needs. Cutting back on private flights, yachts, and excessive consumption won’t significantly impact their quality of life. Their choices to reduce their environmental footprint can send a powerful message and create a domino effect, encouraging positive change on a larger scale.
This doesn’t mean demonizing anyone; it’s about promoting awareness and responsibility. We need systemic changes, and these should start from the top down. By targeting the source of excessive consumption and promoting sustainable choices among the rich, we can create a more equitable and sustainable future for everyone.
Kinda like trickle down economics, but this might actually work…
Eat the rich!
Golf? I need to do some research. I’d be lining up more useless garbage like cruise ships, coal energy, gas powered mowers, and all of the ‘recyclable’ garbage that isn’t. Also styrofoam. Fuck styrofoam.
The gripe with golf usually lies within the incredibly high amounts of water needed to keep the courses green.
That makes sense. Places like Arizona make my jaw drop.
A lot of the courses in Arizona aren’t using potable water; they’re using treated waste water.
The locals know golf isn’t the problem in Arizona. It’s ‘use it or lose it’ water rights for agriculture, and selling land/water to foreign powers (Saudi alfalfa)
Then there shouldn’t be any opposition to courses in places like the PNW. Right?
Golf can use a terrible amount of water, plus keeping it mowed, and cutting forests for it. Places like Canada or the UK might be fine if it’s not a drought year. But there’s golf courses as far as Mexico. There’s places in Mexico that is so dry outside of the summer months that golf courses would use a disgusting amount of water to keep the greens… green… there was a golf course in Mexico I went to that only bothered with the putting area and a bit around that. Everything else was dirt. It wasn’t that pleasant of an experience because you do kick up dust when teeing off and whatnot. However, no way to lose your ball I suppose. Still, the water they needed just for the putting area must have been disgusting.
we need to change golf so it respects the land the course is built on, and doesn’t try to make everything look like scotland. keep the green as-is but make the fairway something that doesn’t use water, fits the local landscape (maybe have different solutions for different environments) and is just as playable as fairway grass. leave the out of bounds areas untouched. I think golf could serve to gain from forming itself to the terrain it’s played on, rather than the other way around
Scotland doesn’t and shouldn’t look anything like a golf course, hell the entire image of Scotland thats sold to the outside worlds is basically entierly artifically sculpted and maintained landscapes that continue to choke out our native species.
we need to change golf so it respects the land
But then you lose the feeling of entitlement.
And let’s face it, that, plus knowing you are better then everyone else is the whole reason to play!
The vast majority of courses are this way. The PGA level courses and private clubs are the main problems. For example in Florida many courses are part of treating waste water and act as a flood control for the surrounding condos.
Most courses did this decades ago because it is cheaper than not doing it in the long run. Complete water reclamation and use of exclusively native flora is the rule these days, not the exception. There are outliers sure, but this is a case of people attacking what they don’t understand rather than looking at their own behavior. You know, classic outrage as a virtue mindset.
nice. I figure that with all the grass that has to be mowed to specifications there had to be a better solution
I though it would be a neat twist to have sand dune golf courses with much smaller playing areas since you won’t hit the ball as far, and you can irrigate small patches of grass that you don’t mow and it gets 6-8" tall as a grass trap instead of a water/sand trap.
Basically what disc golf is
This is the best summary I could come up with:
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Climate activists have spraypainted a superyacht, blocked private jets from taking off and plugged holes in golf courses this summer as part of an intensifying campaign against the emissions-spewing lifestyles of the ultrawealthy.
Climate activism has intensified in the past few years as the planet warms to dangerous levels, igniting more extreme heat, floods, storms and wildfires around the world.
Tactics have been getting more radical, with some protesters gluing themselves to roads, disrupting high-profile sporting events like golf and tennis and even splashing famous pieces of artwork with paint or soup.
They’re now turning their attention to the wealthy, after long targeting some of the world’s most profitable companies – oil and gas conglomerates, banks and insurance firms that continue to invest in fossil fuels.
“We do not point the finger at the people but at their lifestyle, the injustice it represents,” said Karen Killeen, an Extinction Rebellion activist who was involved in protests in Ibiza, Spain, a favorite summer spot for the wealthy.
He published estimates of top billionaires’ annual emissions in 2021 and found that a superyacht — with permanent crew, helicopter pad, submarines and pools — emits about 7,020 tons of carbon dioxide a year, over 1,500 times higher than a typical family car.
The original article contains 873 words, the summary contains 212 words. Saved 76%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
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Good. More of this please.
I remember being in LA during the Rodney King Riots in 1992. White people (especially privileged leftists) were all clutching their pearls, wondering why black folks were attacking their innocent Korean merchant neighbors and dragging random white people out of their cars and beating them, instead of going to rich people’s neighborhoods and attacking them, or attacking the systems of oppression. Clearly these white folks did not understand how oppression works.
When you’re the victim of random violence, and have reached your breaking point, and don’t know what else to do, you respond with random violence, against whatever and whomever is nearby.
Black folks in Compton had no way to get to the racist white power structure. It was insulated from their rage.
Can XR act against Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk? The board of Exxon? No way, they’re not accessible. So they attack whatever they can reach. The world is burning and they’re pissed off. Their targets may or may not make sense strategically. They aren’t trying to influence people or win friends. They’re just infuriated. Know the difference, try to understand with empathy.
Sorry, but in my book, nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies random violence. Your justification of it sickens me and I’m surprised that you got so upvoted. I’ve been on the breaking point from things that were happening inside my own home as a kid, but I never took it on my little brother, or other kids. Instead, I was taking it against the actual aggressor (my father), even if it resulted in more beatings and hairline broken jaws, and put the knife, or the gun on my head. So, yes, I’ve been through some shit myself. But I protected my brother and my mother as much as I could. Doing random violence, as you described it, against people who might have their own cross to bear is not justified. EVER.
And yes. They CAN act against Bezos, Musk, and the board of Exxon. They can easily find where these people are, paparazzis certainly can. Every second day we have pictures of Bezos with his darling gf. Get organized so the locals can take it against him when he visits somewhere. But you don’t act against your fellow citizen who is also a victim of oppression and climate change, or destroy classic works of art. What kind of BS is that??
His view is a product tailored by the elites… his entire story about his experience with the riots is proof of that. the rich whites made it so the poor whites were with the poor blacks when they jammed them up. when you grow up below the poverty line like i did, survival doesn’t allow for racism, because you have to rely on anyone willing to help, asian, black up down left or right. So if i did get attacked by my fellow poor black friends id be furious and would feel betrayed. color doesn’t justify random vengeance as you say
you are confusing explanation with justification, which is very common in social media and social world. The comment was more in line with social scientific explanation of HOW the random violence occurs, not saying that they are morally right. The ideological reality of north americans is a very distorted political, economic and social perception that clouds their minds, and confuses the correct ideas of cause and effect, and who has agency and responsibility for what. It is like if you were raised by everyone outside your family that the actions of your father are the result of the family dinamic , or a shared blame with the mother and children. Then your mind would not cognitively or intelectually process that your father was the agressor responsible for the situation, and you absolutely could lash out at your siblings or other kids.
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Pointless, but better than blocking roadways.
Ah yes protests against the rich have never been useful before
There’s an enormous gap between private jets & yachts, and golf. Most cities have municipal golf courses that are affordable and they even rent out clubs. Golf is a relaxing sport that preserves green spaces that would otherwise be parking lots. I’ve seen a lot of hate against golf on this site already though, so I guess it’s fashionable to hate it now.
It wouldn’t necessarily be a parking lot though would it? That’s just convenient for your argument. The truth is it would be extra easy and cheap to turn golf courses into public parks, with local trees and flowers instead of water guzzling grass. That would improve weather events, wildlife and human lives’ quality in the area.
There’s plenty to be outraged about other than golf. Cities aren’t running out of space because of a golf course.
Maybe not space, but water.
From 2003-2005, the average water use for golf course irrigation in the U.S. was estimated to be 2,312,701 acrefeet per year. That equates to approximately 2.08 billion gallons of water per day for golf course irrigation in the U.S.
Source: https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/pdf/Water%20Resource%20Center/how-much-water-does-golf-use.pdf
When I was in Africa they wanted to tear down a huge forest to build a golf course so tourists would come
Golf in the desert is a ridiculous luxury, even if it’s city-owned. They tell us not to flush our toilets, but dump gallons per hour into those short little greens.
True, but golf in the PNW, or tropical areas is almost self-maintaining for watering.
“The yachts are just a small issue, focuse on the bigger issues first!” Said the yacht owner.
“There are so little private jets, you should focuse on bigger issues first!” Said the jet owner.
There’s an enormous gap between private jets & yachts, and golf. Most cities have municipal golf courses that are affordable and they even rent out clubs. Golf is a relaxing sport that preserves green spaces that would otherwise be parking lots. I’ve seen a lot of hate against golf on this site already though, so I guess it’s fashionable to hate it now.
Said the golf player.
You make a compelling point. I think my hatred of golf is perhaps reactionary.
On the other side of things, golf courses take immense amounts of water, and earned its reputation as a rich person’s sport. While there may be some more affordable courses, it’s more often expensive and takes that green space away from the public to be sequestered to the wealthy.
And they have to clear land to build the course
Well, golf courses in california or arizona are to me criminal. Because of the water use. And golf courses in the middle of cities are deeply irresponsible land use. And yeah, I’d like more public land and more intermingling between the wealthy and the poor. But I suppose I’ve seen some responsible golf courses. I know of one that doesn’t even have or need sprinklers.
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Why?
Could you give them a moment? They have to get Bezo’s dick out of their mouth.
You should go live in a super hot country without AC. Then talk.
