Climate Change. Sustainability. Environmentalism. What are the first thoughts that come into your head when you see those words? University students trying to convince you of an eye-roll-worthy idealism? Hippies creating off-grid cults where they worship vegetables? Global apocalypse? Probably different for all of us.

When thinking about environmentalism, however, there are likely some feelings that we all unfortunately share: fear, despair, or worse, indifference. And it’s not surprising: the facts that underlie climate change can be terrifying, and worse, every news report we see, article we read, earth documentary we watch, hammers home this negative messaging. We seem to be constantly inundated with a stream (or are they destroyed already?) of media telling us how much damage we have caused and continue to cause. The earth is beyond repair and beyond hope. Oh mon dieu! (seemingly) nothing can be done.

And I get it: for too long, climate change was not seen as a credible threat, people dismissed concerns about it as liberal worrying, or too far in the future to care about now – and climate campaigners wanted to alter this attitude, to spread awareness and shock people into action. And it worked! According to a government survey, 76% of Brits are “worried about climate change”. But now, I think its time we leave the shock and fear campaign behind. The public are clearly aware of the issue, and are worried about it: more apocalyptic messaging will only make us feel overwhelmed and apathetic, which is exactly the opposite of what we need to make transformative change.

Instead, we need to shift our approach and our mindset towards climate change and sustainability. Primarily, we need to start connecting with environmentalism through our passions and joy. For example, I came to the environmental movement because I love the ocean: I have grown up near it and some of my best memories and favourite things to do have been and are related to the ocean. I want future generations to be able to see and experience the things I have, and (selfishly) I want to keep exploring the ocean for decades to come, so I want to conserve its beauty and biodiversity, for myself at the very least. And if that doesn’t appeal to you at all, that’s perfectly fine! Find what appeals to you instead, and focus on that – and it can be as big or small as you like. I think we need to abandon the idea that we need to solve every problem all at once. It is often appealing to try to do it all, because so much needs to be done in the climate movement – but this will only lead to burnout. We need a transformational movement, but we also need one that encourages lasting engagement. Let’s make sustainability a habit: so start from wherever you are, and find what connects with your passions, lifestyle and local area, and then build from there.  

This may sound surprisingly simple or self-interested for a movement that is seemingly altruistic, but perhaps that’s what we need more of? Doing something because you have been morally shamed into it, or you just think it’s the right thing to do may catalyse brief, even intense, action, but it won’t encourage sustainable (pardon the pun) and repeated engagement with the movement, which is what we need to make lasting change. Instead, let’s ask ourselves, what passions do we have relating to the environment? What joyful memories or connections have we made, while being in nature? In essence, what will make us want to get up every day and fight for the environment? Because that is the type of engagement that will create meaningful change.

01.05.2022

Published in the Print Edition of Razz Magazine