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Comment by WheatMillington | Hacker News Reader

My country, New Zealand, is intent on self-flagellating with carbon policy which just feels so absurd and silly when our emissions are a tiny drop is the gigantic ocean of carbon emissions from the US and China. Why should we hurt ourselves economically when we cannot possibly make a difference, while our adversaries and allies alike enrich themselves while destroying the planet?

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I hear you, and I think it's also fucked up (as someone who lives in the US) that our climate success is so easily reversed by the whims of whoever is in power today. If it makes you feel any less bad, new Zealand doing it acts as fantastic proof that a good chunk of New England could do it, or that the American South could do it. Plus, there isn't a lot of love for polluting policies; just tolerance from the government for polluters. Nobody here likes to see their kids have asthma, or to see their water contaminated. The size thing can make it feel hopeless, but what is the US if not a handful of New Zealand's?

Because reducing emissions is good on its own.

- Using renewable energy in most applications is now several times cheaper than constantly importing coal, oil and gas. It's weird to suggest using renewables hurts a country economically.

- Not burning fossil fuels in your country improves air quality and correspondingly health outcomes.

- Not importing fossil fuels gives your country geopolitical security

- And when has the goodness of a deed ever been dependent on what others are doing.

US emissions have been declining - not fast enough, and from a very high baseline - for the last 20 years before this year’s result. Europe’s emissions have been declining since the 1990s.

China’s emissions may have peaked in 2025, or are very close to peaking.

Big emitters have not done enough, but to claim they have done nothing is a nonsense.

If it helps China is improving: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45108292

> Why should we hurt ourselves economically when we cannot possibly make a difference, while our adversaries and allies alike enrich themselves while destroying the planet?

You shouldn’t, it’s basic game theory.

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