Feeling guilty every time we can’t be perfect environmentalists isn’t sustainable. For a safer climate, we don't need to get every action right, but we do need to understand the greater scope of the crisis.
Totally! Living a less consumerist lifestyle is excellent if that’s your preference - and I think there are serious mental and emotional benefits from trying to live a life aligned with your values. But to build a climate movement, making people feel guilty for individual choices isn’t a winning strategy. People need hope to sustain themselves for the long battle. We need to keep the pressure on governments that can make the policies and regulations that will hold the real sources of emissions - massive businesses - accountable for the harm they’ve done and force them to make the kind of systemic changes we need to draw down emissions as fast as possible.
That doesn’t mean we can’t do anything though. We can pressure governments for green policies and try to live a less consumerist lifestyle.
Totally! Living a less consumerist lifestyle is excellent if that’s your preference - and I think there are serious mental and emotional benefits from trying to live a life aligned with your values. But to build a climate movement, making people feel guilty for individual choices isn’t a winning strategy. People need hope to sustain themselves for the long battle. We need to keep the pressure on governments that can make the policies and regulations that will hold the real sources of emissions - massive businesses - accountable for the harm they’ve done and force them to make the kind of systemic changes we need to draw down emissions as fast as possible.