At a time when an acute sense of urgency should have all countries and peoples working together to halt our screaming descent into climate Armageddon, our overall progress can only be described as, well, glacial. Ironic, really, when you consider the rate at which glaciers, our global refrigeration unit, are melting away in this overheated world.
While the world burns (or alternatively, floods), the G20 nations can’t even reach a consensus on emissions caps. After all the warnings by climate scientists and the evidence of climate havoc happening much sooner than they had predicted, we humans can’t even agree on a target, thereby kicking the can down the road (itself now in danger of melting!).
It is easy to blame governments for failing to solve the problem, but in fact, each of us is part of the problem, too. If governments cater to the fossil fuel and plastics industries with weak regulations and hefty subsidies, it is because we, the consumers, have been hoodwinked by the corporate narrative into believing that a good, decent life depends on having expensive, carbon-intensive products (like SUVs), and plenty of them. We’ve been conned into wanting and feeling entitled to have all these things, and dazzled by this vision of “the good life”, we have not only sped up the juggernaut of climate destruction, but by allowing profits and markets to dictate government policy, we have also begun to undo our progress towards a more equitable, humane society.
It is not too late to turn things around, but like our parents and grandparents who gave so much to stave off the march of Hitler in the last century, we must match their resolve to protect every good thing we have achieved, which is now threatened, along with a livable future for our offspring. In last month’s column, Grant Linney exhorted us to mobilize our personalities, become politically active and speak out. Added to this important task, we also need to take action in our own lives, each of us doing as much as our individual situation allows. Here are a few things you can do right now:
- Calculate your personal carbon footprint. Try the UN’s Lifestyle Calculator to see where you stand and get tips for lowering your score. Some changes will be cost-free or even money-saving; others you may need to budget for.
- Go to org. hamilton350climate.org and burlingtongreen.org –great local environmental non-governmental organizations, for opportunities to inform yourself, get involved locally, take action, and learn more ways to live a low-carbon life.
- Support these organizations, as well as others such as the David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defence Canada, and the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, by making donations and/or volunteering. Subscribe to their newsletters for the latest on key climate issues and sign their compelling petitions to government. Within just a minute or two of your time, you can leverage their expertise to speak up on important issues like the Greenbelt fiasco.
- Buy less “stuff”, and be climate-prudent about who you buy from/invest in. Check out UN-backed Science Based Targets initiative, which validates net-zero plans, and has just de-listed Amazon for its failed commitment to a credible emissions target.
By all means, take the corporate giants to task, and challenge inept (even corrupt) government behaviour. But give your protest teeth: take back your individual power by becoming a more climate-savvy consumer. Live your daily life as a champion for our collective future.
Jane Jenner is working at being a climate champion in Burlington