By Mariana Nascimento, New York University
Individuals must do their part to foster a sustainable society. After all, it is up to everyone and every sector to contribute to a better world. And the role each person plays is important, especially when acting collectively.
But individual action is becoming the central topic, at least in the mainstream. Do-it-yourself, act, change the world, persist. Little by little, what was supposed to encourage people to be part of the solution has turned into the solution itself. As beautiful as this narrative may be, the real game-changers are the private and public sectors.
Individuals’ carbon footprint is not as big as the private sector’s. For instance, the biggest consumers of water are agriculture and industry, which are also the biggest polluters. Agriculture accounts for 69% of water use worldwide, and industry for 19%.
If these sectors don’t optimize water use and don’t treat the water they pollute, the world will face water scarcity. If these sectors don’t reduce their CO2 emissions, the world will face water scarcity. Taking short showers will not solve the problem.
Here’s a tip for individuals who really want to make a difference in water quality and availability: don’t buy bottled water. Coca-Cola and other big companies are draining natural water resources to sell you what is rightfully yours. Besides that, individuals should push for regulation in these sectors and for the companies to change their behavior.
Here’s another great example of the huge footprint of the private sector. Plastic pollution. Consumers can separate as many recyclables as possible, but if most materials are not recycled at all (currently only 9% of plastics have been recycled worldwide), the problem will only escalate.
Thus, if giants like Coca-Cola and Unilever keep generating more single-use plastic than is actually recycled, the plastic pollution will only get bigger and bigger. Coca-Cola could quit plastic bottles, replace them with glass, and recycle the glass. After all, the company has the money and the power to do so.
And government needs to do more. It has the power to lay the groundwork for a sustainable society by setting and enforcing environmental laws. Individuals have significant power in this area. Voters can elect representatives who will enact such laws.
Furthermore, government also is responsible for subsidizing, financing, or incentivizing the construction of the infrastructure necessary to shift to a sustainable economy. For example, it is unlikely that the US meets its Climate Change goals without a big push from the federal government, like the proposed $2 trillion-Build-Back-Better-Back plan.
In other words, people are told to take short showers, separate our waste, turn off the lights, buy electric vehicles and so on, but if the private sector doesn’t radically change, those efforts will accomplish little.
The path to a sustainable life is through collective effort from all sectors.
The slogan “Be the change you want to see in the world” is on the windows of cars, houses, and pamphlets of environmental campaigns. It is a powerful message, but people can be led to believe that one person can change the world and forget the collective responsibility to drive this change.
Individuals should do their part, but must not be distracted by the do-it-yourself narrative. Government and business must play significant roles to avert the dangers from the warming climate.
Mariana Nascimento is an environmental analyst and master’s candidate in Global Affairs at New York University, with concentration in energy and climate change.
“The Invading Sea” is the opinion arm of the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a collaborative of news organizations across the state.
