Image by D. from Pixabay
I liked this piece in The Guardian by Jo Clay which brings a healthy dose of realism to the question of what we can and “should” do in terms of changing our individual behaviour as part of a multi-faceted strategy to mitigate climate change.
The key point is that rather than go into an attempt to live a life of denial which (as every “dieter” knows is a road to failure), many simple, easy, barely noticeable changes can be made by people that drastically reduce their carbon footprint. We already know we cannot wait for government or business to change at any reasonable pace. So while we continue to force them down those paths we can get on with addressing our own actions over which we have plenty (if not 100%) of control.
Jo found she was able to cut her emissions impact by 78%. Imagine the impact if millions of people in advanced economies did that! And while it took some effort at the beginning – to research, to evaluate and to strategize – once her plans went into action her new lifestyle quickly became the “new normal”. So, she lives just as satisfying and enjoyable life with the added contentedness of knowing how much good she has done.
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.