CLIMATE CHANGE
Can We Make The Polluter Pay?
Climate change needs immediate mitigation and adaptation strategies, but disaster management is expensive. Who should pick up the tab?
The climate emergency is mostly a result of the actions of fossil fuel companies. But did you know that those people knew it for decades that they were significantly warming up the planet? And still, their deep pockets have allowed them to escape the repercussions?
There are others too who knowingly or unknowingly have a disproportionate contribution to the climate crisis. The US military is the largest consumer of petroleum in the world. Also, the habits of rich people impact the climate far more than their low-earning neighbors due to more air and cruise travel, and oftentimes having multiple homes.
As these people go on damaging the environment, they effectively put the guilt on people who care by marketing individual actions, like ditching plastic straws, to make up for it. While individual action is important for a sustainable lifestyle, and energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways of achieving it, it will NEVER be enough to turn back the clock.