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Comment by oliwary | Hacker News Reader

Not OP, but I think there are very important environmental impacts that are not related to climate change. Take, for example, plastic in the sea - clearly a big issue for the environment, but addressing climate change will not impact this at all.

Other examples include destruction of habitats, NO2 in the air, dumping waste in nature and rivers, lead that gets into nature etc.

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I've found that 'climate change' activism leads with wealth redistribution, social justice, and even socialism in a general sense. Biodiversity activism, on the other hand, tends to organize around reducing anthropogenic sources of CO2/CH4, establishing wildlife corridors, protecting watersheds, and so forth.

Both are valid and there's obviously a lot of welcome, positive alignment.

How are sea microplastics and climate change not related? Both involve fossil fuel materials being left somewhere they shouldn't when we are "done" with them.

In one case the fossil fuels contribute to climate change, in the other case it doesn’t.

They are both under a broader banner of pollution.

And?

Let me say that again: why don't you think the plastics are changing the climate?

Because as long as you don't burn them, they don't release any gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. Could you explain any mechanism that make plastics in nature contribute to the climate catastrophe?

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