“Know your carbon footprint”, “What are you willing to change to help reduce emissions?”, “Every drop is green” or ‘Don’t let fashion go to waste”, “All taste, no waste”. These are only some examples of the many messages and advertisements that are constantly telling us how to change our everyday life to tackle climate change. Engaging consumers in eco-friendlier behaviour is definitely beneficial. However, one should not be fooled into thinking that a slight shift in our everyday actions could solve the issue alone, especially when these messages hide a precise aim:

In fact, these quotes, which may at first sight seem like invitations to a collective effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, hide deceptive campaigns created by the exact companies that bear the most responsibilities for the climate crisis: BP, Shell, Chevron… among the others. At the same time, these corporations are not even close to changing themselves in the scale that would be needed. This dissonance in what they practice and what they preach is however not just a communication mistake.

Protecting the planet is a 24-hour job and might seem endless if only a few people are engaging in the fight. But individual and isolated actions are only a first step towards a better planet. It is time to remember the important role we have as citizens and that our habits and attitudes as consumers should not take precedence.

Indeed, the defeat of Donald Trump in the race for the Presidency of the US shows that our  actions do matter, and that we can mobilise and collectively, especially as youth, initiate big changes leading to green shifts, like the promise of President-elect Biden that the US would rejoin the Paris Agreement and his increased focus on comprehensive environmental policies. Even though not everyone is fit to go on strike every Friday, you can be supportive by taking part in the action that suits you best.

To do so, you can:

• Think before you consume and check the sustainability of the product by looking for ecolabels such as FairTrade, Global Organic Textile Standard, EU ecolabel… and support local producers and farmers.
• Do not get fooled by greenwashing. If you do not have the time to research on your own, the easiest way is probably to read different sources commenting the initiatives and create your own idea.
• Be open to discussing the climate crisis with your friends and family; aim to be amicable, understanding and come to them where they’re at.
• Join initiatives in your community – or even start one! For example, in Dundee, Gate Church International launched the Carbon Saving Project which aims to “help the local community adopt low carbon lifestyles while providing help to those experiencing poverty across Dundee.” Other examples are ‘Community Fridge’ and ‘Foodbank’, which distributes surplus food for free to avoid food waste.
• Find youth climate movements focusing on climate action as Generation Climate Europe and follow or even better join them!

written by: Giacomo Ravaioli, Marie Tritz, Hannah Harrison, Deshika Elapata

All this does not mean that our behaviour as individuals cannot have an impact. On the contrary! Our actions have the potential to signal to others what our values are; they can influence not only the people around us, but the stores we buy from and the people we elect into office. A ripple effect of sustainable choices can be caused by compassionate, educative sustainable action, leading to a cultural shift (such as IKEA and Wal-Mart’s recent actions) through positive feedback loops. However, appropriating environmental virtue for profit is not the answer. While there are some attempts to prevent greenwashing, it demonstrates the difficulty of becoming a more sustainable consumer. Avoiding greenwashing can be a time-consuming and exhausting task; it – and climate activism more widely – can also be seen as inaccessible, with the critical glare of “perfect activism” acting as an insurmountable barrier to engage more people into climate movements. Encouraging and supporting one another in your imperfect activism is key to stop Exxon, BP, Shell, degrading the planet further. We can do this through our purchases, but, in many cases, our attitude and approach to others can be just as influential.

Protecting the planet is a 24-hour job and might seem endless if only a few people are engaging in the fight. But individual and isolated actions are only a first step towards a better planet. It is time to remember the important role we have as citizens and that our habits and attitudes as consumers should not take precedence.

Indeed, the defeat of Donald Trump in the race for the Presidency of the US shows that our  actions do matter, and that we can mobilise and collectively, especially as youth, initiate big changes leading to green shifts, like the promise of President-elect Biden that the US would rejoin the Paris Agreement and his increased focus on comprehensive environmental policies. Even though not everyone is fit to go on strike every Friday, you can be supportive by taking part in the action that suits you best.

To do so, you can:

• Think before you consume and check the sustainability of the product by looking for ecolabels such as FairTrade, Global Organic Textile Standard, EU ecolabel… and support local producers and farmers.
• Do not get fooled by greenwashing. If you do not have the time to research on your own, the easiest way is probably to read different sources commenting the initiatives and create your own idea.
• Be open to discussing the climate crisis with your friends and family; aim to be amicable, understanding and come to them where they’re at.
• Join initiatives in your community – or even start one! For example, in Dundee, Gate Church International launched the Carbon Saving Project which aims to “help the local community adopt low carbon lifestyles while providing help to those experiencing poverty across Dundee.” Other examples are ‘Community Fridge’ and ‘Foodbank’, which distributes surplus food for free to avoid food waste.
• Find youth climate movements focusing on climate action as Generation Climate Europe and follow or even better join them!

written by: Giacomo Ravaioli, Marie Tritz, Hannah Harrison, Deshika Elapata

Governments must play a role in changes of such relevance. Firstly, necessary action would be to stop supporting polluting producers: the EU in 2018 paid €50 billions in public subsidies to fossil fuel energy, more than the sums spent for new wind and solar power generation combined (respectively €16 and €8 billions). Secondly, make use of the legal framework. Thereby, holding the companies liable, as fostering responsible production, also means leveraging companies’ responsibility when they do not hold their end of the bargain. This implies relying on regulations, but also on self-regulation practises such as the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It ‘helps a company be socially accountable—to itself, its stakeholders, and the public’.

Nonetheless, not all countries are equally fitted to implement SDG 12. Indeed, big corporations and high-income countries, the ones with the largest possibilities to achieve responsible production, often ended up delocalising their polluting industries in the Global South. Instead, they should acknowledge their historical responsibilities and support nations which are incapable to phase out of polluting industries on their own but also facing other issues such as poverty and unemployment.

All this does not mean that our behaviour as individuals cannot have an impact. On the contrary! Our actions have the potential to signal to others what our values are; they can influence not only the people around us, but the stores we buy from and the people we elect into office. A ripple effect of sustainable choices can be caused by compassionate, educative sustainable action, leading to a cultural shift (such as IKEA and Wal-Mart’s recent actions) through positive feedback loops. However, appropriating environmental virtue for profit is not the answer. While there are some attempts to prevent greenwashing, it demonstrates the difficulty of becoming a more sustainable consumer. Avoiding greenwashing can be a time-consuming and exhausting task; it – and climate activism more widely – can also be seen as inaccessible, with the critical glare of “perfect activism” acting as an insurmountable barrier to engage more people into climate movements. Encouraging and supporting one another in your imperfect activism is key to stop Exxon, BP, Shell, degrading the planet further. We can do this through our purchases, but, in many cases, our attitude and approach to others can be just as influential.

Protecting the planet is a 24-hour job and might seem endless if only a few people are engaging in the fight. But individual and isolated actions are only a first step towards a better planet. It is time to remember the important role we have as citizens and that our habits and attitudes as consumers should not take precedence.

Indeed, the defeat of Donald Trump in the race for the Presidency of the US shows that our  actions do matter, and that we can mobilise and collectively, especially as youth, initiate big changes leading to green shifts, like the promise of President-elect Biden that the US would rejoin the Paris Agreement and his increased focus on comprehensive environmental policies. Even though not everyone is fit to go on strike every Friday, you can be supportive by taking part in the action that suits you best.

To do so, you can:

• Think before you consume and check the sustainability of the product by looking for ecolabels such as FairTrade, Global Organic Textile Standard, EU ecolabel… and support local producers and farmers.
• Do not get fooled by greenwashing. If you do not have the time to research on your own, the easiest way is probably to read different sources commenting the initiatives and create your own idea.
• Be open to discussing the climate crisis with your friends and family; aim to be amicable, understanding and come to them where they’re at.
• Join initiatives in your community – or even start one! For example, in Dundee, Gate Church International launched the Carbon Saving Project which aims to “help the local community adopt low carbon lifestyles while providing help to those experiencing poverty across Dundee.” Other examples are ‘Community Fridge’ and ‘Foodbank’, which distributes surplus food for free to avoid food waste.
• Find youth climate movements focusing on climate action as Generation Climate Europe and follow or even better join them!

written by: Giacomo Ravaioli, Marie Tritz, Hannah Harrison, Deshika Elapata

“People start pollution. People can stop it.”. This was the catchline of a famous ad by the non-profit group Keep America Beautiful to invite people to recycle and avoid polluting. This type of campaign is best-known under the name of “greenwashing”, a term referring to the practice of making people believe that your company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is. This example also represents the first wide-spread campaign aimed at shifting the responsibility from corporations to consumers: Keep America Beautiful is funded by corporates such as The Coca-Cola company and PepsiCo, which created the problem of plastic in the first place.

The focus on responsible consumption at the individual level is the common denominator of these manipulation attempts. However, as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 stresses, what they intentionally neglect is that there is another term in the equation, with a higher impact potential: responsible production.

While just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of GHG emissions from 1988 to 2015, producers make use of every means to avoid their responsibilities, making instead overconsumption and fossil fuel dependency the rule with the only aim of growing their profits. What we need is instead structural change, where sustainable alternatives would be affordable for everyone and not only for the wealthiest.

Governments must play a role in changes of such relevance. Firstly, necessary action would be to stop supporting polluting producers: the EU in 2018 paid €50 billions in public subsidies to fossil fuel energy, more than the sums spent for new wind and solar power generation combined (respectively €16 and €8 billions). Secondly, make use of the legal framework. Thereby, holding the companies liable, as fostering responsible production, also means leveraging companies’ responsibility when they do not hold their end of the bargain. This implies relying on regulations, but also on self-regulation practises such as the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It ‘helps a company be socially accountable—to itself, its stakeholders, and the public’.

Nonetheless, not all countries are equally fitted to implement SDG 12. Indeed, big corporations and high-income countries, the ones with the largest possibilities to achieve responsible production, often ended up delocalising their polluting industries in the Global South. Instead, they should acknowledge their historical responsibilities and support nations which are incapable to phase out of polluting industries on their own but also facing other issues such as poverty and unemployment.

All this does not mean that our behaviour as individuals cannot have an impact. On the contrary! Our actions have the potential to signal to others what our values are; they can influence not only the people around us, but the stores we buy from and the people we elect into office. A ripple effect of sustainable choices can be caused by compassionate, educative sustainable action, leading to a cultural shift (such as IKEA and Wal-Mart’s recent actions) through positive feedback loops. However, appropriating environmental virtue for profit is not the answer. While there are some attempts to prevent greenwashing, it demonstrates the difficulty of becoming a more sustainable consumer. Avoiding greenwashing can be a time-consuming and exhausting task; it – and climate activism more widely – can also be seen as inaccessible, with the critical glare of “perfect activism” acting as an insurmountable barrier to engage more people into climate movements. Encouraging and supporting one another in your imperfect activism is key to stop Exxon, BP, Shell, degrading the planet further. We can do this through our purchases, but, in many cases, our attitude and approach to others can be just as influential.

Protecting the planet is a 24-hour job and might seem endless if only a few people are engaging in the fight. But individual and isolated actions are only a first step towards a better planet. It is time to remember the important role we have as citizens and that our habits and attitudes as consumers should not take precedence.

Indeed, the defeat of Donald Trump in the race for the Presidency of the US shows that our  actions do matter, and that we can mobilise and collectively, especially as youth, initiate big changes leading to green shifts, like the promise of President-elect Biden that the US would rejoin the Paris Agreement and his increased focus on comprehensive environmental policies. Even though not everyone is fit to go on strike every Friday, you can be supportive by taking part in the action that suits you best.

To do so, you can:

• Think before you consume and check the sustainability of the product by looking for ecolabels such as FairTrade, Global Organic Textile Standard, EU ecolabel… and support local producers and farmers.
• Do not get fooled by greenwashing. If you do not have the time to research on your own, the easiest way is probably to read different sources commenting the initiatives and create your own idea.
• Be open to discussing the climate crisis with your friends and family; aim to be amicable, understanding and come to them where they’re at.
• Join initiatives in your community – or even start one! For example, in Dundee, Gate Church International launched the Carbon Saving Project which aims to “help the local community adopt low carbon lifestyles while providing help to those experiencing poverty across Dundee.” Other examples are ‘Community Fridge’ and ‘Foodbank’, which distributes surplus food for free to avoid food waste.
• Find youth climate movements focusing on climate action as Generation Climate Europe and follow or even better join them!

written by: Giacomo Ravaioli, Marie Tritz, Hannah Harrison, Deshika Elapata