Addressing the Climate Emergency through Systemic Change and Individual Action
We feel so overwhelmed by climate change. Public opinion on stopping rapid climate change always focuses on things like coal plants, diesel-powered vehicles, and most of all taking more personal responsibility for how one should change their lifestyle to prevent rapid climate change. But to implement real and practical solutions we must need to first understand the problem.
The Industrial Revolution brought unprecedented advancements in manufacturing, technology, transportation, and energy production. These advancements have been making our lives easier, simpler comfortable day by day but it has been making things worse for our ecosystem. While most people understand the serious impact of cars, energy, and meat consumption, many other sources of greenhouse gas emitters go unnoticed or are never talked about. For example, food production is responsible for producing 26% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions about which 6% comes from food losses and waste and this is a problem for which we don’t have a viable technological solution. Well, it is nice to have electric cars but just fixing a tiny part of the industrial system is not enough. Each sector needs its own solution and they are not easy to implement.
Just because a solution exists doesn’t mean we are willing to implement such a solution. It’s just not black and white. The divide between the rich and the poor is a clear-cut problem in the fight against rapid climate change. There is a direct relationship between the advancement of a nation and its carbon emissions. Rich or high-income countries tend to consume more energy per capita compared to poor or low-income countries. Well, this trend is not without exceptions, and there is considerable variation among countries. Some high-income nations prioritize energy efficiency and sustainability, which can mitigate their energy consumption. But lower-income/middle-income countries that are trying to drive their economic growth and development rely largely on fossil fuels. We can’t expect them to spend money on solar panels rather than cutting wood when the country can’t even meet its basic needs for a significant amount of the population.
Can we fix climate change?
The popular narrative right now is that we all are responsible for climate change and everyone needs to play their role. shifting such responsibilities to the average person is much easier to do. If people don’t have the time and money to adapt to a carbon-free lifestyle they are made to feel bad. Imagine if all the rich populations drastically changed their lifestyles and if everyone preferred to prioritize climate rather than comfort and wealth then we can stop rapid climate change in a jiffy!
When we look at the scale of the problem asking the average person to make personal contributions to reduce greenhouse emissions sounds like a very nice idea but they are nothing compared to the scale of global emissions. Emphasizing individual actions alone can distract from the need for policy changes and government regulation to address climate change at the scale required. Putting this solely on individuals can delay necessary systemic changes.
What can we actually do?
Addressing rapid climate change requires influencing those in positions of power and authority to implement systemic changes. To do so, we must engage with leaders at the highest levels of government, industry, and finance. We need to influence the government and local politicians to advocate for policies that promote sustainability, carbon reduction, and renewable energy adoption. We need to pressure leaders into taking meaningful legislative action. If they are reluctant to do so then we need to hold them accountable.
Addressing rapid climate change requires influencing those in positions of power and authority to implement systemic changes. To do so, we must engage with leaders at the highest levels of government, industry, and finance. We need to influence the government and local politicians to advocate for policies that promote sustainability, carbon reduction, and renewable energy adoption. We need to pressure leaders into taking meaningful legislative action. If they are reluctant to do so then we need to hold them accountable. We need competent politicians to enact comprehensive climate legislation that sets clear emission reduction targets, mandates the adoption of clean technologies, and establishes a framework for climate resilience. Financial incentives and subsidies need to be created for industries to adopt clean and sustainable technologies. These incentives can include tax credits, grants, low-interest loans, and other financial support mechanisms to offset the costs of transitioning to green practices. There also needs to be a framework of strict environmental regulations and standards that require industries to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and adopt sustainable practices.
We can do our part by considering environmentally responsible investment options by investing or supporting in clean tech projects. This initiates a cycle of development, adoption, competition, and innovation that gradually reduces costs and increases demand. This virtuous cycle contributes to the widespread adoption of clean technologies.
As an individual, this is the best we can do right now since we all have a moral obligation to safeguard the well-being of our current and future generations.
