Is it us, or the system that needs to change?

Last week I did something that the twenty-year old me would have laughed at. I wrote to the science editor of a major newspaper. To tell him that he was wrong. Apparently, something about turning 40 has turned me into the type of person who does this!

It was in response to a disempowering editorial, that put the entire blame for the climate mess at the doors or corporations, inferring that whatever we do as individuals doesn’t make any difference. I usually wouldn’t waste my energy on tackling binary thinking in journalism, but this myth of a net zero hero article reflected the tension that comes up a lot - between systems change, and personal change. So much in fact that I have dedicated a chapter to it in my upcoming book.

I told the newspaper this:

Business and government have a huge amount of accountability as you say, but we also have a lot of power. It is not one of the other. We buy from business; we vote for government. The idea that we are completely powerless to global forces doesn’t hold true. These systems are created from the personal decisions that we make consciously or unconsciously every day. 

Handing someone a ‘how to’ manual isn’t going to cut it these days. Being overly prescriptive about what we should and shouldn't be doing is ineffective coaching, as it doesn't lead to personalised and empowered solutions. Fortunately, we have fossil-fuel free alternatives readily available for almost everything. With a bit of mindful switching, one step at a time it is possible to live in a way that is more compatible with a safe and liveable future, without changing who we are. 

I have no idea if this more nuanced message has any chance of landing in modern media, but who cares. I feel more empowered just writing it.