Who Can We Really Blame for Climate Change?
I have no doubt that we are experiencing potentially catastrophic climate change. I it impossible to turn my back on the overwhelming evidence.
But, even if the evidence is all wrong, what catastrophic thing will happen to the planet if we drastically cut our greenhouse emissions and our deforestation activities? I can’t think of any apart from slightly lower profits for some.
However, if the evidence is right, and we choose to ignore it, then these bushfires of the past couple of months are merely a brief trailer for the epic blockbuster that’s pending release.
So how do we stop it. Not enough politicians seem interested. Their war cry seems to be about jobs. I know wildfires do create a lot of jobs, the non-paying kind. Their economic rationalism has them in a bind that seems to be shutting down the right side of their brains. No new solutions available.
But – and it is a big but! Blaming Politicians is an escape from responsibility. After all, they are merely our representatives. I know I am not prepared to run for Parliament so I cannot blame or accuse them. That would just leave me feeling righteous as Mother Earth burns – or drowns.
So, I turn my attention to the faceless people who own and operate the companies that profit from environmental abuse. When I really look, I realise that many of them are public companies. This means they have shareholders. I then look a little further and find that some of the biggest investors in these companies, mining, oil, coal, power, and the banks that fund them, are Superannuation companies.
And who is reaping the rewards from these investments? Of course, it is those of us who have superannuation funds being managed by the bigger players.
The paradox is that most of us do not like the pollution and the climate change. But we also have an aversion to a super fund that is not producing insanely good growth margins. It is our pressure that drives them to find the investments with the biggest yields and the lowest risk.
Here is a challenging question. Would you be happy for your superannuation fund to invest in a tech start-up that might have a product that will reduce methane emissions?
The brutal bottom line is that very few of us can escape the responsibility of ownership for this extremely challenging problem.
I have believed for a long time that the two most powerful people in a democratic, market economy are the consumer and the voter. If I am spending even a single dollar with a company that is adding to global warming, do I have the right to stand and point a finger? Probably not.
If I am to attend a protest, it will probably be held in front of my bathroom mirror.
And as a final note, we have stopped buying fruit and veg and several other food items from supermarkets. Farmers Markets do the trick. Now we must plan before we shop and make it work for the week. It is a good challenge. And if you are looking for farmers markets, visit my site in about 2 weeks and there will be a directory there for you to find a market near you. Visit Wide Awake Wellness after Feb 20.
