Eat less meat, use more public transportation, recycle more. This sentiment of making personal changes to fight against climate change, wherein the onus has been placed on the individual, has become commonplace. Even my previous blogpost ended on a note calling for people to be more cognizant of their own recycling. Yet, leading climate scientist Michael Mann warns that these calls act largely as a diversion; a smokescreen that distracts the general public from unwanted discussions on policy reform, such as the regulation of the fossil fuel industry. He points out that, “This approach is a softer form of denial and in many ways, it is more pernicious.”
For instance, take Shell’s new 2019 YouTube campaign, “The Great Travel Hack”. The premise is a competition between two teams road tripping across America, where the team with the lowest CO2 emissions by the end of the trip wins. By showcasing ostensibly sustainable methods of transport, such as electric cars, electric bicycles and horses, Shell spreads the message that everyone must do their part to save the environment.
Yet, Shell is one out of a hundred companies from the fossil fuel industry which have been directly or indirectly responsible for 71% of global greenhouse gas emissions in the last three decades. Furthermore, the company continues to lobby against green policies in the United States, as it is a member of the Business Roundtable, a group which has lobbied against green policies put forth by the Obama administration. Over the past three years, Shell has invested over $1Bn into misleading climate campaigns and lobbying. Only now does their message becomes clearer: “Everyone else must do their part to clean up this mess I’m making.”
Fighting against lobbyists for stricter regulation of the fossil fuel industry is not an impossible task. New Zealand is a global leader in this regard, as it has recently passed a milestone bill which has set a target of zero carbon emissions by 2050 and set up bureaucratic framework for the achievement of this goal. With the passing of this bill, Prime Minister Jacinda Adern, states that New Zealand is on the “right side of history.”
Reader, I pose you a question. On which side of history will you make your stand?
– Ryan Chew
