system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: I am not being unethical by not cutting down my personal CO2 emissions.

I believe that climate change is a big threat to future generations and that the world needs to reduce its CO2 emissions, by yesterday.

But in my personal life, I continue to go on intercontinental flights, I continue to drive a big car and live in a big house with patio heaters in the garden.  Why don't I scale down on those things? Because it wouldn't make a difference. Even if I were to live like a monk, not a single additional gram of carbon would stay in the ground.

Before you say "but if everyone acted like that...", consider the nature of the global free market economy. The latent demand for energy is almost limitless. What is limited is the global supply. Who ultimately determines how much CO2 ends up in the atmosphere are not the consumers but the producers.

Thought experiment: What would happen if 200 million people in a rich country like America were to refrain from flying because of their concern for the environment? The oil price would drop temporarily, the price of plane tickets would drop, and the remaining 100 million (who are not concerned about CO2) would say "thank you, suckers" and buy bigger cars, take more flights, etc. Soon, oil consumption would go back to previous levels. The only thing that would change is how the energy pie is distributed.

Even if we could persuade 95% of the world population to reduce their personal energy consumption, there will always be millions of people, somewhere in the world, who simply don't give a shit. They would all own personal 747 if they could afford it.  

What do we learn from this? That CO2 emissions can *only* be tackled on the supply side. There are two realistic ways of achieving this. Government intervention (taxes, regulations) and investment in alternative energies.

I am a consequentialist.  Since me *individually* conserving energy will not significantly alter the global outcome, I don't consider it unethical to "waste" energy.

What I can and should do as an individual is to vote for political parties who impose carbon taxes and invest some my savings in renewable energy startups.  Those actions are of real consequence, and am an not being a hypocrite for going on a beach holiday in Bali (though I will not lament when I can no longer afford it).
gpt
Your argument implies that supply is completely independent of demand. If 95% per cent of the population stopped using oil products, the price of oil would drop significantly, and there would be less incentive for companies to continue searching and extracting more oil.