It was great to see local kids and adults on the streets last Friday talking climate, and amazing to see youth climate activist Greta Thunberg not holding back on her trip to this continent, but isn’t the blame on us all as individuals, not government or other usual suspects?
Governments do need to do more, as Thunberg and everyone is asking for, but governments in this part of the world are put there by voters, just as corporations produce products that people want at prices that people want.
The blame for our world comes back to us, ultimately. We need to focus on truly embodying the climate crisis in our own lives: how we vote, what cars and food we buy, where we put our financial investments, etc.
I’m a bit ticked off by the person who talks environment or human rights or whatever at the dinner table but then the conversation switches to their new gas-guzzling camper van and new bike and what stocks are performing the best. It’s even more frustrating when people say they can’t afford organic food or an electric car while they spend large sums on other things.
We can often choose to afford sustainability if we really want to.
As one speaker at the Squamish march said, we need system change, and I’d argue that it starts in the mirror.
Chris Joseph
Garibaldi Highlands
