You are at fault for climate change

Eoin Cunningham

The typical attitude of many who support climate activism is that the governments and corporations are to blame. Not only is this thinking wrong, but it leads to greater carbon emissions as individuals don’t take responsibility for their impact.

Looking at the top three largest sources of CO2 emissions, one could be forgiven for blaming companies, conglomerates, and corporations for all of our environmental woes. Besides, the average American is only responsible for 16 tons of emissions compared to the 139,477,048 tons of greenhouse gas emissions that Vistra Energy was responsible for in 2018, according to the Political Economy Research institute.

But what most fail to keep in mind is that they contribute to said billions of tons of air pollution in everything they do.

Maybe you like coffee, for example. First, the coffee is grown and harvested in Brazil. Then your coffee is shipped on a massive barge to America. Next, it is driven by truck to a factory where it is roasted, packaged, then placed on another truck to be delivered to a coffee shop or grocery store near you. When you buy your favorite Starbucks concoction, you are paying for the diesel powering the ships and trucks as well as the coal and natural gas used to provide energy to the processing factory. You create demand for Vistra Energy, Exxon Mobil, and others like them, and provide them with the revenue they need to keep on polluting.

If you’re currently thinking that you should stop drinking coffee and then all will be right in the world, I have some bad news. Pretty much every single thing you spend money on has a carbon footprint. There are some more obvious polluting financial transactions, like getting gas or paying your electricity bill, but when it comes down to it, a portion of every dollar you spend goes towards energy production, shipping, manufacturing, agriculture, etc. All of which are industries that pump tons of CO2 into the air. At this point, you might be thinking, how are these emissions my fault? I have to pay the electricity bill to keep the lights on. It’s the electricity companies’ responsibility to stop burning fossil fuels. I need to buy food, so it is the shipping and agricultural industries’ responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint. This is also not entirely true.

In the end, it comes down to a problem of economics. Sure, scientists could announce tomorrow the invention of a more cheap and efficient solar panel and battery, but that’s not how science works. We have solar panels and a variety of ways to store electricity right now, but these methods can’t compete in price and convenience with fossil fuels. That’s where you come in. You don’t like things that are expensive and inconvenient. When you make a purchase you don’t really think about the environmental ramifications and the possible cleaner alternatives. The electricity companies know this and burn natural gas to provide you with convenient and cheap electricity. The electrical company exists as a solution to the problem of you wanting cheaper power. Your demand is what saves the power company from non-existence and you are therefore responsible for the pollution it emits.

And so we reach the heart of the issue. To prevent a global problem that has and will continue to take lives, people are going to have to make sacrifices. You are going to have to make sacrifices and keep on making more until the problem is fixed.

It is sad to think that the entire world could reduce its carbon footprint by an enormous margin if everyone agreed that a lower standard of living was worth it to save the planet. But since you want boba tea and AirPods, that’s not going to happen.

For those who are not satisfied with this conclusion, make sacrifices and keep on making more and more until the problem is solved.