Drop in the puddle

Environmentalism is a topic that is quite popular at UU and the Netherlands in general. As our awareness of the impact our systems have on us and our surroundings grows, measures to minimize it have increased. Yet, the question of the importance of personal responsibility still remains in many students’ minds. 

Although consciousness of one’s consumption and impact is very important, I do feel that the heightened emphasis on people’s individual roles benefits the parties that should actually be held accountable. Since the invention of the concept of “carbon footprint” (one’s carbon emission in their lifetime) as a PR campaign by British Petroleum, the narrative about climate change has shifted to focus on the daily activities of individuals. Not using plastic straws, reusable cups and shopping bags are good ways to minimize our effect on a small scale. However, all of these efforts can be counteracted in a mind-bogglingly small time frame by a big company.

I know that with the existential panic of our earth running out of time, we want to feel like we are doing our part and contributing in some way. The personal measures taken, although they do help the environment, more so soothe our anxiety. As the discourse surrounds how we can help, it is useful to take a step back sometimes and see what change is needed on a larger scale. I understand that attacking any big institution or company about their impact feels futile and helpless, but by beating ourselves up over our own actions so much we are actively participating in the narrative that they want to cultivate. Their goal is to spread and divide the guilt among the people so that it seems like they are not the ones ruining the environment, we all are. 

The anxiety we feel sometimes leads us to have an anger that we want to direct towards someone. Some students, especially ones who come from different cultures, have spoken to me about feeling under attack by their peers due to the way they lead their lives. It is good to warn people in good faith but, sometimes the anger we have about the state of our Earth can lead to hostility towards other people in our day-to-day life. It is good to take a step back and realize who should be at the end of this anger. At the end of the day, if all our efforts are small drops in a puddle at the side of the road, these companies are coming with their supercars to splash it everywhere. Thus, we can try to have change on a large scale through protests, our votes and raising awareness.