Don't just swap out your current consumption for "zero waste" alternatives — consume less.
Don't just swap out your current consumption for "zero waste" alternatives — consume less.
A sustainable environment means consuming less, not differently. With retail therapy losing its appeal, that should be easy, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff
Dude I appreciate the message and the intention to consume less, but we the common folk are not the ones flying private jets and producing 50% more food than we eat. The rich are always going to try and put the onus of climate change action on us. They will tell us to use better light bulbs and use paper straws while refusing to make meaningful legislation. They will cut off private cars from Paris and short commercial flights while allowing the rich to rent limousines and charter private jets.
They’re going to have us eating bugs while they eat the last living cow. Don’t buy into this nonsense.
If you believe there is absolutely nothing we can do as individuals to help, then you're in the wrong community. This place is dedicated to promoting ways that we can reduce our individual footprints.
I acknowledge that the majority of impact is due to the wealthy and the institutions that uphold them, such as the military. But we cannot change that as individuals, at least not quickly. And taking individual actions in the meantime does not have any downsides.
Theis isn't about depriving oneself. It's about consuming more consciously. We don't need to buy the vast majority of the stuff we do in the global north. When you read about the "top 10%" of the world's disproportionate impact — that is likely us. Even if we eliminated billionaires instantly, global meat consumption would be unsustainable. Extraction rates would be unsustainable. No snowflake feels that it is part of an avalanche. We all have to do our part.