Is SolarPunk intrinsically progressive? What elements of reaction and conservatism are symptoms of potential subsumption of SolarPunk into the status quo?

  • poVoq
    6•2 years ago

    I think there is a risk of people seeing only the “green” and not the technical aka “solar” part of it, and then it regresses into something like “cottage core” or just another environmentalist or hippie-movement.

    I also think more emphasis could be put on the urban aspect of Solarpunk as that is where the real change is needed and also where the real challenges lie. Doing some Solarpunk stuff on your own in a more or less rural setting is easy.

    • @sexy_peach@feddit.de
      3•2 years ago

      Doing some Solarpunk stuff on our own in a more or less rural setting is easy.

      I honestly disagree. Rural living in the developed world has the worst co2 footprint etc imaginable. Yes, it looks close to nature, but living in a city is more environmentally friendly.

      But of course solarpunk is needed both in cities and everywhere else ;)

      • poVoq
        2•2 years ago

        That very much depends. I agree that much of the current rural population has a higher individual CO2 foot-print, but it is easier for them to have a lower carbon foot-print as they can control their lifestyle to a much larger extend.

        Also even though current urban inhabitants often have a lower carbon footprint individually, their higher numbers and dependency on supplies from rural areas make them the much bigger problem.

        • @sexy_peach@feddit.de
          2•2 years ago

          Hmm. I think that with the current infrastructure (houses, roads etc) it’s not as easy as you say. Powering a rural house with renewables requires extensive insulation, free standing houses are inefficient to heat etc. Travelling in rural areas often requires people to travel larger distances than in cities.

          If we compare possible future infrastructure I think cities could gain a lot as well. Generally it doesn’t really matter which is better or worse, because both are needed obviously. I just don’t like it if people pretend like rural living is better for the planet or more in line with nature. It’s not.