For many people, the bike purchase isn’t disposable income. It’s in place of buying the much more expensive car. Sure, they’re fortunate enough to be able to live in a place where it’s doable … but people do it in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal, Toronto. Even if people in these major cities leaned more towards bikes, it would make a difference - and not just towards the global environment but to their local environment. The particulate matter from EV brake and tires is as bad or worse than ICE cars because of their extra weight.

You missed my point entirely. Even here in one of the most bikeable places, people find excuses. Yes, it other places some of those excuses become legitimate reasons, but often they are not; in many cases, they’re still just excuses.

Yes systemic change is the most important, but I don’t believe in abdicating my personal responsibility. I do what I can to mitigate my personal impact. For me personally, that means walking/cycling most places, following a vegan diet, just consuming less generally. I can’t change my heating or cooling because I live in a condo, but I do what I can to lower my energy costs.

There’s still more I could do (like less doomscrolling) but I believe in trying to take action on an individual level, both because a million people doing the same adds up but it also signals to governments and corporations that I take this seriously. I also feel better making the effort to live according to my values.

This is the biggest blow to Linux users since we can’t play games coming from the Xbox Store.

Is this part of the "strategy though? “You have to be one Windows to play these games”. I don’t know that it will work though.

I was responding to this re cargo bikes:

in the exceptionally rare situation in Canada where it would be doable

I live in one of the most bike friendly cities in Canada. Mild winters and generally mild summers. Good infrastructure that’s getting better. And yet there are still so many people who say “oh I could never because”, and then follow with things they do that people who choose to bike also do. Many people who think it’s not feasible in their life have never tried. That’s not to say it’s feasible every day and in all circumstances but more than many people think.

I swing between the extremes of “maybe we’ll finally take action” and “we’re doomed”. At my most dejected, including today, I wonder if we’ll just see more climate change denialism because taking action means changing our lives and giving up some little bit of comfort and convenience at time when our own backyard isn’t on fire or flooding or buried under unusual amounts of snow or… well, I think we’re very good at sticking our heads in the same even as our asses ablaze. And it seems we can’t rely on the politicians to do sba.

Keeping energy affordable means diversifying and investing in renewables. Good to know even the local Saanich news is owned by a US company 🙄

The death knell for public health care in Canada. Having grown up in Alberta, the public system saved lives in my immediate family. Maybe even mine.

I think it’s more feasible in more places that most people think.