Taking Action
The average annual material consumption of a European citizen is 20 tonnes. The effects of our overconsumption are innumerable and the burden often falls on countries and individuals who consume the least.
When the pandemic started, we were promised that the world was going to change, that this would be the tipping point, a ‘new normal’ would emerge. Yet, as restrictions lift, we seem to be returning to the comfortable cycle of overproduction and overconsumption. Corporations continue to exploit their workers and abuse supply chains, plastics still choke the oceans and infiltrate our diets, and governments haven’t moved fast enough to develop alternatives.
Tick which action you would like to take on the form below and follow your email instructions to join the #ConsciousConsumption campaign today.
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ACTIONS TAKEN SO FAR
What can I do in my own life?
Individual change and collective system-level change are interconnected. The environmental movement needs to sustain a way to do both: organise for systemic change while also still encouraging individual behaviour changes. The power of consumers is strong. By changing our consumption patterns on a large scale we can influence companies to operate more sustainably. Everyone has a responsibility to limit global warming.
How can I fight for corporate responsibility?
The Carbon Majors Report found that just 100 companies have been the source of more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988. The scale of emissions associated with these fossil fuel producers is large enough to have contributed significantly to climate change. It is time for us to demand corporations take more significant action.
How can I encourage governments and institutions to do better?
Governments and institutions play a key role by enacting policies that encourage speedy transitions. However, last year, Ireland exceeded its carbon budget by 11-12 million tonnes. We need to urge governments and global institutions to take bold, ambitious climate action now. This November, representatives from every member state of the United Nations will come together in Glasgow to discuss climate action at what is known as the 26th COP. Now is the time to demand political will.