Who's to blame?

   Reduce your carbon footprint! Recycle your plastic and glass! Use less electricity, gas and water!

   We are constantly bombarded with messages that suggest we, individually, are to blame for environmental degradation and catastrophic climate change.

   There is now an argument that large corporations (and governments?) have engineered a sense of individual responsibility in order to distract from their own obligations. We are constantly being told we are too greedy, lazy and that we consume too much. And, yes, there is an element of truth to this and we should be mindful of how, as individuals, we could be doing more to save the planet.

   An emerging view is that large companies (and governments?) play a much bigger role in damaging the environment than do any number of individuals and that the focus for easing or reversing our slide into climate and environment catastrophe should be centered more on them than us.

   The contention is that if we are to properly address environmental decline and climate change, it is not just the behaviour of individuals that needs modifying but that the desire for continued exponential growth of corporations and the incessant aim of improving our GDP that needs attention.

   Further reading/listening:

“Who is to blame for the environmental crisis and what needs to change?” Radio National podcast.

“Big oil coined ‘carbon footprints’ to blame us for their greed”. The Guardian

“GDP on the way out as 'wellbeing budgets' put value in community and connection”. ABCNews

“Australians create 67 million tonnes of waste each year. Here's where it all ends up” ABCNews

“Overview of the State of the Environment Report” Dept Climate Change, Energy, Environment & Water.