I Can’t Afford To Fight Climate Change

Doing something about climate change is becoming a privilege

Some lovely eco-friendly things to buy. Photo by Anna Oliinyk on Unsplash

There has been a lot of push back from fossil fuel companies, banks and right wing media about climate change. It takes the form of blaming the general population for the mess we are in today. It’s our fault that so much oil is being burnt, its our fault that all our goods are wrapped in plastic, its our fault that we have an insatiable desire to consume. To counter this we have come up with several solutions, from recycling and upcycling, from using EVs, solar panels and even wind power; not to mention biodegradable plastics, bio-fuels, and organic building materials such as bamboo and hemp. Wherever the finger has been pointed, human ingenuity provides a solution but not the answer we need. Instead of reducing our dependence on oil and coal and gas, we struggle to come up with alternatives and these alternatives come at a price.

Big flashy expensive EV. Photo by Martin Katler on Unsplash

Let’s look at electric vehicles, the alternative to IC powered cars. The technology is there and has been proven to work and even excel in terms of performance and efficiency compared to the old. However, the price of these EVs is exorbitantly high (though slowly coming down) meaning that only the more wealthier members of society can feel good about themselves by buying one. The total cost of ownership will probably be the same as buying a normal ICE vehicle in the long run but who has that kind of up-front money to invest. The rest of us just have to carry on, running our dilapidated fossil fuel burning run-arounds until they fall apart. Yes having an EV is a great idea to help save the planet but only the rich and the middle class can afford to do it.

Organic food is so trendy now. Photo by Jordan Christian on Unsplash

On a more mundane level, we all know that organic farming is much better for the environment and probably better for our health but who can afford organic food, we can barely afford ordinary factory farmed produce. The poor have little say in how Big Ag uses fertilisers produced from oil, or grows and harvests crops using huge diesel…