There’s a common thread running through several of the things I’ve read today—the need for certain behaviors to change. For example, at IEEE Spectrum Robert Charette says that to reach 2050 emissions targets people need to change their behaviors:
How willing are people to break their car dependency and other energy-related behaviors to address climate change? The answer is perhaps some, but maybe not too much. A Pew Research Centersurvey taken in late 2021 of seventeen countries with advanced economies indicated that 80 percent of those surveyed were willing to alter how then live and work to combat climate change.
However, a Kanter Publicsurvey of ten of the same countries taken at about the same time gives a less positive view, with only 51 percent of those polled stating they would alter their lifestyles. In fact, some 74 percent of those polled indicated they were already “proud of what [they are] currently doing†to combat climate change.
What both polls failed to explore are what behaviors specifically would respondents being willing to permanently change or give up in their lives to combat climate change?
For instance, how many urban dwellers, if told that they must forever give up their cars and instead walk, cycle or take public transportation, would willingly agree to doing so? And how many of those who agreed, would also consent to go vegetarian, telework, and forsake trips abroad for vacation?
The bulk of the article is devoted to the difficulties in reaching the EV adoption targets. I recommend it.
This post by Jennifer A. Kingson at Axios is about the various (mostly fad) diets being introduced to combat climate change:
Move over, locavores: A slew of new labels — from “climavore” to “reducetarian” — reflect the trend of people eating with sustainability in mind to reduce their climate “foodprint.”
Why it matters: Food manufacturers, restaurants, and supermarkets are racing to cater to the zeal for lower-carbon eating choices, which has people eschewing plastic packaging, ingredients flown in from afar, and foods that are environmentally damaging to produce.
- While there’s plenty of disagreement about what to avoid, top villains include faves like red meat, chocolate, avocados, sugar, and — gasp — coffee.
- The “eat local” mantra is being replaced by the notion that what you eat is more important — since transportation is sometimes just a small part of your meal’s carbon footprint.
A considerable proportion of the commentary on the killing of Tyre Nichols centers around changing the behaviors of law enforcement officers.
There’s an irony in this yen to change people’s behaviors: it’s frequently accompanied by an insistence that some behaviors are unalterable and must not just be accepted but normalized.
I think that much of this is painting with far too broad a brush. I think that behaviors fall into multiple categories including needs, wants, inherent, and definitional. So, for example, I doubt that many people feel an urgent need to drive but that driving is a means to an end. Move where they need to go (work, stores, etc.) closer and people will drive less. Doesn’t that bode well for the future of cities? I don’t think so. I believe that people have an inherent, innate desire to live in villages and that’s why every city is surrounded by sprawling suburbs. Living in large cities, packed densely together is a relatively new phenomenon. For tens or hundreds of thousands of years of human existence we were living in small groups.
Similarly with diet. I think that those who fantasize about changing people’s diets the better to address their ideas of environmental soundness are doomed to frustration. Diets are very durable things. The archaeological record suggests that as far back as we have been able to determine human beings have preferentially sought out the highest fat food source in the environment, especially meat and shellfish but also including dairy products, nuts, olives, etc. Given that history I suspect that people will fight before giving up their burgers. As my wife once put it you can lead a horse to water but that won’t make him into a duck.
Changing police behavior sounds felicitous but, again, I think that those advocating it will be frustrated. There is a certain element of thuggery inherent in police work. However well they’re recruited or trained police officers will inevitably return to old, bad methods. Can we improve things? Definitely. But we can’t eliminate police violence entirely. Any more than we can eliminate crime entirely.
The number of police shootings of unarmed people appears to have been greatly reduced from 20-30 years ago, so it has already changed. The number of shootings and instances of abuse vary a bit around the country. So it is possible to change, its just not possible to get to zero. So we need to have realistic goals and we should also punish those who go well beyond norms. I think this will probably involve lessening the power of the police unions to protect bad actors.
Agree on the diet stuff. I have no problem with people promoting supposedly healthier diets, more vegetables, local, whatever. People just arent going to change very quickly. I do think there are changes going on. We have a lot more vegetarians at work and when we cook for our church now we always provide vegetarian options.
Steve
I also tend to think that changes will not only be incremental but diminishing returns to scale. In other words yes, we can improve. However, whatever improvements are effected, over the next 20-30 years we probably won’t improve matters as much as in the last 20-30 years.
I also think that diet will be incredibly intransigent. With the exception of new ingredients added, the most hallowed recipes are those that grandma made.
I tried a vegetarian diet as a young woman. I was liberal with dairy and legumes. Took vitamins. Then had a stress fracture in my foot that wouldn’t heal. After reintroducing meat and fish it healed in a few short weeks. So one person is not suited to vegetarian or vegan diets.
Besides, in my senior years, life is too short to submit to other people’s diet manias. I like almost all vegetables, but I like a burger, too. The kind with onions, tomato, pickles and lettuce.
Dave Schuler: There’s a common thread running through several of the things I’ve read today—the need for certain behaviors to change.
It’s about markets and accountability.
Dave Schuler: Living in large cities, packed densely together is a relatively new phenomenon. For tens or hundreds of thousands of years of human existence we were living in small groups.
True. However, levels of interpersonal violence are lower now than for most of human existence.
Yep. I read an article not long on archaeological findings supporting just that point. Gives a substantially different notion of “pastoral”.
Janis:
I think I’ve told this anecdote before but for a while in his adolescence my wife’s nephew became a vegetarian. We referred to his form of vegetarianism as “coco-frito vegetarianism” with a hat tip to ovo-lacto vegetarianism. He ate mostly Fritos and drank Coca Cola.
I’ve also had some of my physician buddies tell me that they don’t have a single healthy vegan in their practices.
There is a school of thought that various diets are best suited for people based on blood type. My general observation is that I think that people don’t go far wrong by eating what their great-grandparents ate.
Mine ate from their gardens, their veggies liberally seasoned with bacon grease.
I bought my first pack of bacon in five years when it was on sale the other day. Had a craving for a BLT. I like spinach instead of lettuce on my sandwich. Today I’m trying sautéed collard greens rather than simmered with ham hock.
That would be sautéed with olive oil and seasonings rather than bacon grease.
Another recipe for using your bacon is to saute it, add onions, tomatoes (or tomato paste) and bell peppers and serve it with spaghetti. I’ve posted an actual recipe for that as my grandfather’s Coney Island Spaghetti somewhere around here. I was shocked to learn it was a legitimate Italian recipe. My grandfather was about as Irish as you could possibly be, ironic since he made his living doing German and Yiddish accents.
Yep. Here’s the recipe. Reduce the proportions depending on how many you’re feeding. The recipe serves four.
Hmm. Need a pepper, tomato paste and spaghetti and I’d be in business. I’ll get them when the annual freeze is over. Thanks!
When would you add the minced parsley?
When serving