The paradox of individual climate action…
Too much and not enough - the paradox of individual climate action?
Before I start, let me preface by saying that I know tackling the climate crisis isn't all about individual action - no one is saying it is, and I'm certainly not.
But individual action has a big role to play, and we need to broaden our perceptions of what 'individual climate action' is, because there's a paradox at play.
So here's the (made up) scenario.
I'm out with a friend, who up until now hasn't really shown much interest in climate-y stuff.
She says to me "I'm starting to feel really worried about climate change. I keep seeing on the news all the awful wildfires and floods that are happening around the world. I’m reading articles telling me that climate change is going to impact food prices, and how bad air pollution is for health, and how bad the decline in nature is. I really want to do something. I've been doing my recycling for years but what else can I do?"
So I reel off a big long list of things she could do, emphasising the really big ones like eat less meat and dairy, use your car less, fly less (or not at all).
And on the one hand, it all feels hugely overwhelming.
Making big lifestyle changes is a big ask. Most people fiercely defend their right to choose what they want to eat, to use their car, to fly as much as they want. And may have very valid reasons for not either being able to, or wanting to, make changes.
And I get it. It's hard. I am personally very far from perfect.
People (most people?) want to do something.But the things that will make the biggest difference, can feel too much.
And on the other hand, it all feels way too little.
"Me stopping flying won't make any difference - the plane will still go anyway"
"My individual actions won't make any difference, why should I make all these changes, which feel really hard when the government are doing FA?"
"Are you seriously telling me that in the grand scheme of things, looking at the aftermath pictures of the wildfires in Hawaii and the destruction being wrought around the world, that me doing Meat Free Monday is going to help?"
And I get it.
Of course we need systemic change.
We need massive government intervention. We need our politicians not only doing the right things, but being seen to be doing the right things.Is this paradox of individual climate action feeling like too much, and simultaneously not enough, stopping people making changes?
This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately.
And it's why we need, urgently, to recognise that individual climate action is about so much more than any reductions to our individual carbon footprint.
It's about the people around us who see us taking that action, and wonder if they could have a go too.
It's about the conversations we have about the action we've taken.
It's about the fact that having taken one action, we're motivated and empowered to take another, and another.
It's about social norms - there's a growing body of evidence that suggest that once 25% of a population start doing things differently (eating less meat and dairy, walking and cycling more, flying less etc etc) that's when we reach a 'positive tipping point' and these things quickly become the norm. We can't reach that 25% without individual people choosing to do things differently. And then talking about it.
And once social norms start to change, social license for climate UN-friendly behaviours, organisations, policies and governments starts to fade.
Once businesses realise that people want something different, they change (we've seen this already with the rise in availability of plant-based options in supermarkets and restaurants).Once politicians realise that people want something different (and are willing to vote accordingly) they'll change.
So maybe there's another paradox at play here too.
It's not all about the individual changes you make. And at the same time, it totally is.
What do you think?
Let me know!
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