We are racing down a mountain at full throttle. Our children are in the back seat. The speedometer is buried. The road curves sharply ahead. On the outside of the curve is a cliff with a 200 meter drop. On the other side is a vertical rock wall.
Here are some ideas I came up with to help push people into taking action. Sure we need systemic changes like ending car dependent cities and heavily reducing fossil fuel usage. Doing nothing is smashing through the guard rail and off the cliff. Doing one is slowing enough to MAYBE survive crashing into the mountain. Doing both is slowing down enough to navigate the curve.
There are some things we CAN do.
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Start spreading the word on social media for unofficial things like moo-less Monday. Don’t eat beef on Mondays. Weather Wednesday, where you adjust or turn off your HVAC. This could be a whole other thread.
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Start getting louder and louder. Remember, we need to both act AND influence enough people for systemic changes.
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Consume less. Be as efficient with resources as possible. There tons of things you can do here that are minimal effort and barely noticeable.
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Political action. Vote. Run if you are able. Contact politicians at all levels. Talk with people about things that have benefits beyond just climate. E.g. transit reduces traffic.
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Stay strong. Don’t succumb to doomerism.
I kinda agree with some points but overall this feels awfully close to the neoliberal idea that you can ascribe personal responsibility to a systematic problem. The great bulk of climate change is not being driven by your neighbors, but by the usual companies, which can afford to line the pockets of politicians to stay unpunished.
I’d also add a big asterisk on point 4: direct action! The solarpunk vision is built on anarchist ideals; If you’re in a situation where you can afford to, work together with like-minded individuals to bring the change you want. There’s no need to wait for some boomer politician to consider how doing or not doing something will affect their career. Sometimes asking for forgiveness is easier than asking for permission.
Totally. Let’s change the world, and be the change we want to see in the world. And of course, understanding the complex sociological problems that lead people to not be able to afford Eco-friendly solutions while looking for ways to make that change possible. 🤗 Direct action is the way to go, voting is more of a “support” tool to kinda move the needle.
Oh look another turfer spreading “climate change is about personal responsibility” propaganda. Go back to reddit.
As far as political action goes:
Get involved in campaigns. In the US that means financially supporting state and local candidates in the primary, as well as the presidential campaign and volunteering, not just voting. It’s important to vote in those primaries too, not just in the November 2024 general election; in most districts the primary determines who will hold the seat.
Besides contacting individual politicians, you can write letters to the editor of local news outlets, ideally connecting climate to local issues.
If you happen to be near New York City, there’s a major march planned for September 17
Everything you’ve suggested is equivalent to re-arranging the deck chairs on the titanic. Climate change is not driven by individual action and can’t be solved by individuals changing their consumption habits. Over 70% of greenhouse gasses are produced by less than 100 companies, companies that have lobbied for public subsidies, socialized their losses with bailouts, outlawed or bought out any competition, laid waste to our countries natural resources, ripped up efficient public transit and infrastructure, and suppressed any change to their fossil fuel monopoly. Changing our course on climate change will mean taking back control from a powerful and entrenched class of people and corporations who control all the legal means you think can be used to hold them accountable.
