The New Republic
July 19, 2022

Worried About the Climate? Join the Club—Literally. Forget your carbon footprint; the best thing to do about climate change is join a group focused on collective action.

For decades, advice for people concerned about climate change has focused on reducing individual emissions. This was not an accident. Since at least the mid-2000s, fossil fuel companies have intentionally tried to shift attention away from their massive contributions to climate change by guilt-tripping individual consumers about their own “carbon footprint”—a term mainstreamed by oil giant BP in 2004.

But as the climate crisis accelerates, more and more people are recognizing voluntary individual behavior changes alone simply cannot stop climate change. Collective action, by contrast, can work. But many people are going to need help figuring out where to start. And while there are plenty of guides for “going green” as a consumer, there’s little advice available for those who want to engage as citizens.

Read the full article here.
Image credit: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES