Fight for the collective future, not just yours
In 1987, the queen of neoliberalism, Margaret Thatcher, claimed that ‘there is no such thing as society’. Thirty years later, Psycholological Science journal published an article stating that individualism is on the rise across the world.
Neoliberalism and individualism has had plenty of time to prove it can solve our problems and so far, looking at the state of the world in 2021, I would argue it’s not been a huge success for people and the planet. The cult of individualism has seen Western economies prioritise the self over the other, and companies such as Starbucks and Apple enrich themselves off the back of child labour and other human rights abuses. You don’t need me to tell you just how much the planet is suffering.
The climate crisis is unprecedented because pursuing solutions using this individualist viewpoint has exacerbated the issue and pushed it further down the line. Huge collective issues addressed with individualistic priorities only ensures that there will still be big winners and big losers. It won’t solve the inequality or the poverty that plagues the UK and other countries, and we have seen how neoliberalism intersects with race and gender to leave entire communities behind. This unprecedented challenge requires us to rise to the moment, and to firmly place the collective need above the individual want.
We have an opportunity to back climate policies which are poverty reducing, and focused on equity. Yes, electric cars are great, but encouraging the sale of electric cars at the expense of investment in public transport provision leaves so many people behind. Asking people to pay more for vegan food and doing nothing to address the subsidies given to the meat farming industry acts as a regressive tax. Prioritising home energy efficiency measures for those who can afford it leaves the poorest the most unprotected, financially and environmentally. Working to raise everybody up helps us all far more than affording protection only to the wealthy few.
Yes, our society is focussed on individualism and ideas of individual responsibility oversaturate the sustainability world, but taking action as a single person doesn’t have to be about promoting individualism. Individual responsibility environmentalism doesn’t have to be about only helping yourself. We are all one person part of a wider collective - street, neighbourhood, community, city, region, country. We are all a part of something bigger. What we owe to each other is why we should strive to be better in our own actions, not wanting to put ourselves ahead at the expense of others.
We should not be relying on those who can afford it to make the right choice, and leaving those less fortunate to sit and hope that they make the right decision. We all have power because power is in changing the system, one law and regulation at a time. By collectively acting to bring about change through regulation and laws, by democratic processes such as engaging with elected politicians, social action, union collective organising or community organising, we can change the entire private and public sector to make every method of transport sustainable and not just the methods that can only be afforded by those who are wealthy.
Labour unions are already at the forefront of green jobs and green solutions, and they are a centuries old fantastic example of collective power. Community groups provide a huge positive psychological impact from working together, dwarfing any psychological impact from achieving alone. Everyday actions like recycling aren’t just for you, they’re for your friends, your family, and for your future and their future. Taking action in the collective will ensure that we can have the widest impact possible and a simple google search will show the hundreds of ways people are coming together to scale up individual actions.
We have to ensure that we are acting in the interests of all society, and leave the pressure to act only for yourself behind. By harnessing collective power to bring about regulation and government action we can take control of our environment and ensure that everyone benefits from a cleaner and more sustainable future.
This week’s suggestions to read and listen:
Read:
In the early days of Covid-19, we stopped consuming and rather loved it. But it didn't stick by Sarah Wilson (shoutout to Niamh for telling me about this great article)
People didn’t used to be ‘consumers.’ What happened? by Kate Yoder
Conscious consumerism is a lie. Here’s a better way to help save the world by Alden Wicker - The author discusses the article on Green Dreamer podcast here
We Can't Tackle Climate Change Without You by Mary Annaïse Heglar
Atmos and Grist are two fantastic publications which I strongly recommend.
Listen
Hot Take podcast (co-hosted by Mary Annaïse Heglar)
How They Made Us Doubt Everything from BBC Radio 4 (This is a 10 part audio documentary not a weekly series)
As always, please share, subscribe and have a good weekend!