This agenda of personal responsibility is exactly what keeps us from holding the true guilty parties accountable. This is like saying the abuser isn’t the abuser, because you can go to therapy or leave any time. But we can’t leave any time.
What is your objective, to hold people accountable or to save the planet?
Saying that individuals are responsible for the majority of climate emissions is not about shifting blame. Oil companies and bad luck (society picked fossil fuels before we really understood climate change) are to blame, but now we have to switch to damage control mode and that falls on individuals (and the government and corporations, but in a democratic free market society those both wrap back around to individuals anyways). It’s just the hand that we have been dealt.
This agenda of personal responsibility is exactly what keeps us from holding the true guilty parties accountable.
I think it’s the opposite. It’s the agenda of “it’s someone else’s problem” is what’s holding us back. It’s almost a classic case of the prisoners dilemma where individuals (both people and corporations) make the decision that is less favorable for everyone overall because they are afraid of what happens if they make the best decision and no one else does.
We all have a responsibility, and if we individuals all start making better choices, then some corporations will cater to that, and it can snowball.
It’s not an either or scenario. It’s if we want to get there fast, which we need to, everyone rushing there right now is the best…while waiting around for others to solve the problem will not get us there fast enough.
Advocating for zoning reform and reducing car dependency isn’t exactly the “agenda of personal responsibility”. We can make a difference in our communities and use that as a springboard to pressure politicians to make change.
It’s not one or the other, it’s both. Just because your reducing your climate impact is negligible doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try and do it.
This agenda of personal responsibility is exactly what keeps us from holding the true guilty parties accountable. This is like saying the abuser isn’t the abuser, because you can go to therapy or leave any time. But we can’t leave any time.
Love,
A work from home vegan.
What is your objective, to hold people accountable or to save the planet? Saying that individuals are responsible for the majority of climate emissions is not about shifting blame. Oil companies and bad luck (society picked fossil fuels before we really understood climate change) are to blame, but now we have to switch to damage control mode and that falls on individuals (and the government and corporations, but in a democratic free market society those both wrap back around to individuals anyways). It’s just the hand that we have been dealt.
I think it’s the opposite. It’s the agenda of “it’s someone else’s problem” is what’s holding us back. It’s almost a classic case of the prisoners dilemma where individuals (both people and corporations) make the decision that is less favorable for everyone overall because they are afraid of what happens if they make the best decision and no one else does.
We all have a responsibility, and if we individuals all start making better choices, then some corporations will cater to that, and it can snowball.
It’s not an either or scenario. It’s if we want to get there fast, which we need to, everyone rushing there right now is the best…while waiting around for others to solve the problem will not get us there fast enough.
Advocating for zoning reform and reducing car dependency isn’t exactly the “agenda of personal responsibility”. We can make a difference in our communities and use that as a springboard to pressure politicians to make change.
It’s not one or the other, it’s both. Just because your reducing your climate impact is negligible doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try and do it.