News about scientists getting arrested for warning us of what is happening to the planet got some people deleting emails as a contribution to the efforts in reducing carbon emissions and helping mitigate climate change.
But does this help?
Spreading awareness proves that we can initiate a collective effort to help address climate change. As individuals, we can be collectively responsible for advocating for change. But how far does this action take us?
Pollution, global warming, and climate change encompass many fields and sectors, affecting everyone. It involves the climate that may cause stronger typhoons that affect other peoples and animals’ homes. Who receives most of the damage? The ordinary people.
Our efforts will go to waste if we don’t start making big corporations responsible and accountable for the carbon emissions and their enormous contribution to pollution, global warming, and climate change. While we can delete all of our emails that consume data storage and need “cooling” that is energy-intensive, many companies and factories still emit carbon and pollute not just the air but also soil and water. And who does the job of cleaning up this mess? The ordinary people.
While we can campaign for no plastic usage, many of us still use sachet products because it is the only ones we can afford. We get mad at consumers for buying from fast fashion stores with inclusive sizes, and it’s only what they can afford. Social media trends perpetuate consumerism, such as buying “aesthetic” containers for household items like laundry soap and throwing away plastic. It’s easy to blame consumers when more prominent companies consume more carbon than individual consumers.
So what do we do?
Large corporations should also be responsible and accountable. They should stop the greenwashing and use such terms as “sustainable” and “eco-friendly” to market products and make them more expensive, forcing others to buy cheaper fast-moving products that cause more pollution. Switch to renewable energy, if possible. Make better packaging that is biodegradable.
Mining industries should have more research and development studies. Maybe, brands can put up stores where people can refill their essentials, and people may bring their containers to buy laundry detergent, shampoo, salt, flour, and other household items.
Sustainable does not mean buying “sustainable” products every time. In our homes, we can make fashionable but sustainable clothes by wearing them again. We may reuse old containers to store bulk-bought items too. Reuse shopping bags instead of buying a new one every day also helps.
As citizens, we can also use the opportunity of having elections to elect leaders that can help revisit laws and create better environmental policies. Let us all call for a change.
Overall, the collective effort to mitigate climate change is not just the responsibility of one person. Climate change is an issue with a lot of layers and involves all sectors. Since the government has the power to regulate, policies should be implemented to hold corporations liable, protect our remaining trees, and fund environmentally sustainable projects.
