One factor is demand, and that’s one way individual action can be effective; if enough people, especially those of us in countries with large carbon footprints (I’m in the US), reduce our demand for meat, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, hot water, petroleum, electricity, and so on (list not in priority order regarding climate-change impact), we can help this ecosystem be more robust and resilient. There are some steps in between, of course, and some growing pains.
“But if we save chocolate for special occasions, what about the cocoa farmers?” Just because a system exists doesn’t mean it’s worth keeping that way. The colonial powers did a lot of what I see as harm to many cultures by extracting material resources without much regard to cultural resources like oral histories and land-stewardship practices. We might give back more without expectation, donations without the T-shirt, mug, or tote in return; to what degree is this reasonable? Do we have enough shared values across to effect cultural change soon enough? Are too many of us stuck in our invincible teens, thinking we’ll be okay?
“But if we save chocolate for special occasions, what about the cocoa farmers?” Just because a system exists doesn’t mean it’s worth keeping that way. The colonial powers did a lot of what I see as harm to many cultures by extracting material resources without much regard to cultural resources like oral histories and land-stewardship practices. We might give back more without expectation, donations without the T-shirt, mug, or tote in return; to what degree is this reasonable? Do we have enough shared values across to effect cultural change soon enough? Are too many of us stuck in our invincible teens, thinking we’ll be okay?