While we’re here… it’s consumerism that’s killing the planet. Waste driven by mass production (this includes beef) are the driving force behind our accelerated climate issues. The company that makes 2 million plastic landfill fodder per day, and dumps chemicals into whatever nearby future super-fund site it can find, is doing a lot more damage to the planet. Eat less or no beef, yes…but consume A LOT less of all the other shit that outweighs cattle farming for global damage.
Comment on Housing prices
kandoh@reddthat.com 2 days ago
Housing is an investment, so the supply of housing is artificially constrained to ensure investments stay green.
For the boomers, the house they bought was an equity vehicle designed to keep them out of poverty in their old age.
There’s also the issue of you, reading this this comment, who doesn’t want a condo or townhouse but a very specific home with a driveway, lawn, and backyard with lots of privacy. The most costly property to provide services and infrastructure for and is crippling every city’s finances for the past 50 years of white flight.
The private corporations buying homes are basically a rounding error. Human desire at scale is what’s doing this to us. Everyone wants a life sold to them as ‘normal’ by Madison Avenue executives in the 50s.
While we’re here, it’s also not data centers killing the planet - it’s billions of people who want to eat beef every day.
Captain_Buddha@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Fluffy_Ruffs@lemmy.world 2 days ago
“There’s also the issue of you, reading this this comment, who doesn’t want a condo or townhouse”
I get this is a popular argument but when someone buys a condo or a townhouse in a shiny new development (granted you didn’t specify new but I see new condo developments being built left and right lately) where does that money go? Developers, many of which are large corporations, are making money hand over fist.
We push for more affordable housing by adding to the supply but that’s helping fatten the pockets of large development firms, further funneling money away from the people who are scraping barely enough money together to buy the units in the first place.
I’m pointing out a problem and not a solution but I think this gets lost in the “more people should be ok with condos and apartments” argument.
kandoh@reddthat.com 2 days ago
The decomodification is housing is extremely important, but individuals also have to adjust their expectations of what a good and fulfilling life for themselves will look like.
We’re all going to need to become enthusiastic advocates for high density living spaces.
chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Private equity buyers absolutely are contributing to housing prices skyrocketing. The percentage of their effect is up for debate, but as someone who bought a home in the last few years, I was fighting big investors that were making cash offers left and right on every house I tried to get.
Meat production is one of the largest green house gas emitters, but data centers aren’t helping either. BOTH can be a problem. It’s and AND statement, not an OR.
kandoh@reddthat.com 2 days ago
People point to these two things because they want an easy solution and don’t want to adjust their own behaviors.
If you deleted every data center and banned private equity in real-estate we’d still be in the exact same position.
chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Which is why I said that these things aren’t mutually exclusive. Diet adjustments to reduce or eliminate meat consumption is one of MANY global warming things that we should be doing. Not allowing data centers to fire up 20-40+ unregulated natural gas turbines is another. Promoting public transit in all cities is another.
It’s not an easy solution that you can just point a single finger at, but you can point at several big ones.