Opinion: The Way We Talk About Environmentalism Sucks
By Iris Qi
Environmentalism, defined by the Oxford dictionary as “concern about and action aimed at protecting the environment,” is a word that carries a lot of weight. As far as pressing issues go, it’s often ridiculed or ignored, which prevents any kind of real change from happening. In my opinion, this happens for one key reason: the bigoted and classist dialogue.
When I was a child, I deeply loved animals and nature. To learn about climate change and global warming was devastating: our world was slowly being destroyed and that the animals I loved dearly were in danger. I was deeply distressed that nobody was doing anything, believing it should be everyone’s primary concern. I believed that as our one and only home, we should prioritize it first. However good-intentioned this thinking was, it was also misguided and a product of my privilege. I was ignorant of the issues that many people face daily, believing that no matter their circumstances, they should care about what I cared about. And this kind of thinking is the problem.
A lot of the conversation I personally have heard regarding environmentalism is so problematic that it’s easy to see why people stay away. There’s so much talk about how people need to “buy sustainable” or that “people should be willing to pay higher taxes” to help finance sustainability efforts. But if somebody is living paycheck to paycheck, there’s absolutely no money for them to start paying even more. Also, truly sustainable options are so expensive, it’s inaccessible for most people. Because let’s be honest, most people don’t have the money to shell out hundreds for a “sustainable” wardrobe. Sustainability is tailored to those with monetary comfort.
Those who want others to engage in environmentalism have lofty ideals, lacking perception into the real world. When people barely have necessities to survive, we should stop blaming them for not being able to make a more sustainable choice. Without structures or systems in place for people, there can’t be a better option. For example, if there aren’t any easy places to charge electric vehicles, who would want to buy one? If there aren’t any bike lanes, who would want to bike to get places? If you could buy a shirt for 5 dollars, why would you buy a 100 hundred dollar one? By having to go out of one’s way, the sustainable path is instantly put at a disadvantage in relation to easier ones.
In this, the dialogue fails because by blaming others, you are actively discouraging them from participation. Forcing someone to care won’t ever make them care. Don’t ever point the finger at someone for not buying something “better” when big corporations are the ones who pump out tons of waste daily. Don’t blame us when big pollution countries haven’t fulfilled their climate promises. The governmental and world leaders need to stand up to create permanent solutions to the crisis at hand. It cannot just rest on the people to enact the change because these leaders have power. And from what we’ve seen, they are the ones failing us.
Absolutely, the environment is important. The Earth is our only home and it needs to be protected for future generations. I don’t want to see it be ripped apart because of the short-sightedness from our ancestors. I don’t want our generation and people in the future to live with the mistakes of the past. But change cannot be made if mentalities and dialogue remain the way they do. We need to stop holding people to standards that are elitist, understanding that everybody doesn’t have the monetary comfort to do so. To make progress, we have to put aside the lofty talk and begin to make this everyone’s issue.