Combatting the Climate Crisis
You are more influential than you think
Many people experience feelings of helplessness or surrender when they think about the Climate Crisis, and the impact that it will have — and already has — on their environment. There seems to be no lack of articles, reports and events that present us with a very pessimistic view of the future of our planet, so maybe the feeling is justified? Maybe there really is nothing you, an individual, can do?¹
The Climate Crisis concerns everyone on earth. Governments, organizations, and individuals are taking notice — and taking action — all across the globe. Because while no individual has the power to solve the Climate Crisis on their own, combined they can do more than the sum of the parts. Each of those individuals provides a much-needed force which steers the planet towards a better future.
Each of us can have a profound positive impact on combatting the Climate Crisis, by starting within ourselves and exercising our personal responsibility we can inspire others, which will effect a bigger movement over time.
Personal Responsibility
Every person has a personal response-ability: The ability to choose how to respond to external stimuli². Because of this, we can consciously choose how we respond to these articles, reports and events, and other external stimuli related to the Climate Crisis. Instead of responding negatively, I propose that we can choose to respond positively. Instead of taking a defeatist stance, we can choose to take an opportunistic stance.
The one thing over which we have the most control is our self: our thoughts, our actions, our behaviours, our habits. The Climate Crisis concerns everyone on earth, yet it is not something that any one of us can solve alone. However, there will always be something — a thought, an action, a behaviour or a habit — that lies within your control, which when exercised will have a positive effect.
While it might feel unimportant to take small and personal steps like for example using less water, wasting less food, or recycling more, they can ultimately result in a big change over time. I admit that it is easier said than done, as rescripting existing habits and patterns is difficult. Taking personal responsibility is the first step towards effecting a radical change.
Planting the Seed
Your actions influence others, and by staying positive and taking personal responsibility you will influence others to do likewise. Through exercising personal responsibility you can plant the seed for change in others, which might take hold and bloom into a concrete thought, action, behaviour or habit later.
This does not mean that you should actively attempt to influence the way other persons perceive the Climate Crisis. However, situations do arise where the topic comes up naturally. Conversing with others about the Climate Crisis is an important way to expand the overall awareness within society about the issue³.
By continuously keeping this idea in mind, you will directly and indirectly influence more and more people, simply through living out your daily life while exercising personal responsibility. You plant the seed in others, and most of the time nothing will come of it. But in some cases the seed will come to bloom, and in turn might even plant a new seed in others.
A Bottom-Up Movement
Persons at the top of governments, organizations, and other positions of perceived power decide on the policy meant to combat the Climate Crisis⁴. However, none of these individuals will be able to reach the goals they set out for alone. Reaching the goals which are laid out in a Top-Down fashion requires in the end a Bottom-Up Movement. If the general population is not committed to the goals, then there will be no satisfactory result.
Inspiring and influencing others, by starting with your self and your personal responsibility, is absolutely critical to get this movement going. A snowball effect will occur where more and more people become aware, and start taking positive action. What starts at the individual grows into a larger whole over time.
The Bottom-Up Movement will produce the leadership capabilities which are required to reach the ambitious goals of tomorrow. As the movement grows, more and more people who can make a significant difference become aware, and start to act.
Conclusion
In recent years, I slowly transitioned from defeatism to opportunism when it comes to dealing with the Climate Crisis. I believe it to be the most important challenge humankind will face during our lifetimes. It will affect most aspects of our being. I hope to inspire others to show integrity and practice personal responsibility. This will strengthen the Bottom-Up Movement, and combined we are a great positive influence.
Personally, I have a long way to go, but I will keep going every day and hopefully others will come along with me.
Footnotes
Here is a link to my next article
- An interesting paper related to coping with the Climate Crisis
- Several ideas about personal responsibility are inspired by “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, a great book about self-leadership authored by Stephen R. Covey that I can recommend to everyone
- How to have conversations about the Climate Crisis
- An example of Climate Crisis policy is the recent “Fit for 55” package introduced by the European Commission
