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To really address Climate Change the economic system and the limitations it puts on change need to be fixed. Climate Change cannot and will not actually be reversed or helped as long as a system of Capitalism and Consumerism remains largely unquestioned. The system requires growth and without it heads into recession. As long as new products, more stuff, and growth in markets are needed to maintain the viability of any market (including a Green Market) and international markets mean transporting materials vast distances - nothing changes. An interdependence within and between countries that looks like everyone needing jobs and money in order to meet their needs (real or real as a result of millions of dollars of advertising and ad. campaigns) and this money coming from economic activity in making, selling, or shipping ANYTHING ANYWHERE, or commuting to any sort of company or job that can make money - great problems will remain. The system does not allow that using and buying less, making something yourself, or reusing something act as positives for the economy and our interdependent jobs to provide for needs and legitimate wants. Less currently actually hurts the economy and the livelihood and ability for others to meet their needs. Why would anyone want to have less and have the stress of trying to meet their needs at the mercy of the will of others? Of course they do not, and politicians do not want to set up this scenario by calling for less that actually is less, but rather politicians say they are calling for less by bringing about green ways of "using less" while they are not helping create the system that makes this true. For example Cap and Trade policies to reduce pollution are not actually fostering the use of less to bring about actual reductions in pollution and a Carbon footprint.
Cap and Trade relies on the existing and expanding need of industries for money to survive (without regard for true need based on function and want without mass marketing for convincing people of need). Millions of people the world over go to work every day to do jobs and offer products that multiple companies make and replicate, wasting resources, and showing a system that is not actually questioned. To address Climate Change ask should a job be a good thing, period? Should production and transport of a product that people only know about and want due to huge amounts of money and advertising be considered as part of people's needs legitimately requiring current and future resources and infrastructure? To what degree does a "green product" or "green technology" actually change the situation (e.g. the atmosphere shows ___, which is better then before "the green revolution")? Is "green technology" that "uses less" actually using less and not continuing to tax and add to the problem or merely using less than if we used more without green technology?
Change the whole system before you talk of band aids, contradictions and "thinking inside the box" such as merely products that use less, and changes in treaties or policies after years of debate. When nobody measures how much is needed, what is reasonable or should be strived for, what is not needed, and if the final analysis of the situation shows our actions are working then nothing changes. Bring about real changes.
