Individual responsibility: a red herring that lets the fossil fuel industry off the climate catastrophe hook

www.bmj.com

This is why I say politics matters more than individual action.

Yes, changing the lightbulbs in your house from incandescent to LED is great but it's just a drop in the bucket. Politicians can mandate energy efficient bulbs for everyone as an example, at scale this makes a huge difference.

We all have 24 hours in a day and a lot less of that is free-time, use it to contact your politicians and urge other people to do that.

I really hope after reading this post that you'll consider sending an email, calling or faxing at-least one politician. Your message can be really simple.

For example this could be your message:

Dear (politician),

I'm really worried about the effects on climate change. I believe it's hurting the economy much more than the cost of transitioning to renewable energy such as solar and wind. I'm calling for ending subsidies for fossil fuel companies and a faster transition to renewable energy.

    
Thank you so much for your consideration,
(Your name)

See that wasn't so hard was it? Sending an email could take just minutes a day and you're message could have a huge impact.

4 comments

I think that both collective action (politics) and individual action are necessary. Both feed on each other in a positive spiral. Neither one is less important than the other. And arguments that dismiss either harm the cause as a whole.
For one, because every choice you make to support a cause or goal makes you more likely to continue supporting it. Action builds commitment. The more you think about the environment, the more actions you take because of the environment, the more dedicated you become and the more actions you take in future. Trying to live a environmentally sustainable lifestyle gives a lot of people the motivation to engage in collective action in support of that lifestyle.
For another, because when people live in an environmentally sustainable way, and are less likely to be personally harmed by environmental legislation, it makes it easier for them to vote for it. It's a lot easier to vote for a gasoline tax if you don't drive. Or for regulations on factory farms if you don't eat meat. If you already replaced all your old light bulbs with LEDs, a government mandate on energy efficient light bulbs won't affect you, and you can vote for it without worrying about how much it'll cost you personally. In California, an attempt to phase out gas stoves was opposed by people who had gas stoves and liked them - if those people had been convinced to take individual action, and replace their old gas stoves with induction, they would have had no reason to oppose the phaseout.
Moreover, there's the issue of credibility. When you live your values, and your friends and family and neighbors see you living your values, your words in support of those values gain greater weight. Politics is the art of persuasion. If you want to convince other people to support collective action, your individual actions matter, because they show you believe what you say.
And finally, and to me most importantly - we should take individual action to live more sustainably and less wastefully because it's the morally right thing to do.
Yes, write your congressperson. And also, drive less, fly less, insulate your home properly, and eat more plants. And tell the people around you what you're doing, and why you're doing it.
Collective action and individual action are not separate. Like a previous generation said, the personal is political.
- That's a very good point you bring up! I totally see what you mean and agree!
  
  There’s also the fact that we vote with our wallets - if green products become more profitable, companies will pivot toward them, and visa versa. However, I feel your original point holds water inasmuch as making these issues out personal responsibility remove the onus of responsibility, and often the spotlight, from companies whose practices cause pollution. The plastic industry is a case in point - the idea that us recycling will solve the issue was put forward by the industry so that they wouldn’t have to take responsibility for their shitty actions. Quite often individual responsibility is pushed where national/international legislation is needed
- Thank you for laying out the argument so well. It massively frustrates me when people point to corporations "carbon footprint" campaigns and argue that all the change needs to come from them. They hold massive blame, but if you let yourself imagine it's only corporations fault you won't be prepared to make changes when they're necessary.