Operative word you. Individual action was a deliberate red herring constructed by the FF industry propaganda machines half a fucking century ago, because they knew who the actual significant contributors to the problem were.
I agree that large scale changes require tax reform, advertising bans and massive investments in trains and public transit. But you can’t do that without political power.
Large scale changes starts with people being aware. Otherwise, it’s doomed to fail. Look at what just happened in Canada. Justin Trudeau banned oil tankers off the coast of British Columbia and he tried to ban single use plastics. He faced outraged reactions.
Some angry politicians were publically taunting him on social media and sued his government :
See what happened? The guy was the Prime Minister of a major country. He had tremendous political power. He tried some small changes. He faced brutal political backlash. Why? The people weren’t ready.
In fact, Marc Carney, who succeeded Trudeau, was saved by Quebec where climate change denial is practically non-existent and you can get elected Mayor of Montreal by promising to reduce cars. Without Quebec, English Canada would have elected the “I love plastics” guy.
So yes, I do agree that real change takes political power. You need things like tax breaks for people who use public transit, congestion pricing, taxing airports more, banning ads for SUVs, requiring electronic devices to be repairable, etc… These actions would be far more efficient than any individual action. Sure.
But that doesn’t mean that you, as an individual, shouldn’t do anything. Change starts with individuals. Only when you reach a critical mass of individuals can you start trying to push for policy changes.
I agree that large scale changes require tax reform, advertising bans and massive investments in trains and public transit. But you can’t do that without political power.
Large scale changes starts with people being aware. Otherwise, it’s doomed to fail. Look at what just happened in Canada. Justin Trudeau banned oil tankers off the coast of British Columbia and he tried to ban single use plastics. He faced outraged reactions.
Some angry politicians were publically taunting him on social media and sued his government :
https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/we-will-continue-to-push-back-alberta-to-continue-single-use-plastics-ban-fight-with-federal-government/
A guy literally campaigned on defending plastics and slashing the (tiny) tax on carbon.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poilievre-scrap-plastics-ban-1.7514037
See what happened? The guy was the Prime Minister of a major country. He had tremendous political power. He tried some small changes. He faced brutal political backlash. Why? The people weren’t ready.
In fact, Marc Carney, who succeeded Trudeau, was saved by Quebec where climate change denial is practically non-existent and you can get elected Mayor of Montreal by promising to reduce cars. Without Quebec, English Canada would have elected the “I love plastics” guy.
So yes, I do agree that real change takes political power. You need things like tax breaks for people who use public transit, congestion pricing, taxing airports more, banning ads for SUVs, requiring electronic devices to be repairable, etc… These actions would be far more efficient than any individual action. Sure.
But that doesn’t mean that you, as an individual, shouldn’t do anything. Change starts with individuals. Only when you reach a critical mass of individuals can you start trying to push for policy changes.