The Unequal Fight We Face against Climate Change

Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth showed a clear depiction of the problem the world faces from climate change.

The film however skips over an important realization that we do not all act as equal combatants against the problem. Some people are clearly more at fault and therefore are more able to fix the problem.

An Oil Baron, for example, has a choice where to invest his vast wealth but continues to mine oil. A worker for the company is constrained by the need to work and is possibly facing the loss of their livelihood and no guarantee of policy change if they feel the need to leave the company.

Similarly, a person who has the money can convert their houses to run on sustainable energies. A poorer person however may not have the resources to be able to this no matter how environmentally conscious they are.

An example of this can be seen in Venezuela which is one of the leading oil exporters in the world today. The dependence on the oil industry that they face was built up over decades by corrupt rulers. These rulers would let foreign companies exploit the industries. Major bribe payments would be paid to the dealmaker, at the expense of the country.

With the election of Socialist Hugo Chavez, we have seen the taking back of oil industries with big companies told to pay their bills or get out. Money from the lucrative industry is for the first time being put into social programmes to improve people’s lives. Chavez realizes that the oil won’t last forever and is also putting some of the money into building alternative industries.

Countries like Venezuela are third world nations and we are told that they must lessen their dependence on oil at the same rate as first world nations. First world nations have the resources to not only convert their own countries over to sustainable industries. They also have the power to help poorer nations lessen their own dependence. After all, this dependence was often created by first world corporations in the first place.

Similarly first world nations should be helping, not shunning their poorer citizens. Government should be helping these people achieve sustainability by making it accessible. A simple example is fluorescent light bulbs which Venezuela and Cuba provided free to all citizens while Australia’s market economy demands we pay for them.

People are showing that they want to be involved in this fight against climate change. One of the most democratic showing of this sentiment is in environmental rallies. Most of the world’s population can wake up in the morning and decide whether an oil plant should be closed or whether a sustainable energy farm should be opened. But they can, in many cases, wake up and go to a rally to demand change.

First world consumers can often make small changes like changing light bulbs or installing energy efficient appliances if they can afford it. But to change the larger decisions that will affect the world the most we have is collective power. If we stand together, we can affect change by forcing industry and governments to make the decisions that we desire. If we create enough pressure we can force industry and government to make concessions. These concessions can create a greater belief in our collective power. This makes us more able to fight for the larger demands we have for society.

This is why it is important not only to think about your own impact but also think about the larger picture and think about ways we can create the real change we need before it’s too late.