Hey guys, hope you are all doing well. I have been having a think recently about why climate change has been so politicised. I know that for many people as passionate about the environment as I am get frustrated by people (mainly on the right wing) who refuse to accept their responsibility to do anything about it. Why is it that climate change is so political?
I don’t think that many people deny the existence of climate change. Generally scientific evidence does a good job at confirming the fact that climate change is in fact happening and is the fault of humans. What is politicised is what we do about it. People with certain political stances seeming to be more open to radical change than others, while the conservative government refuses to take drastic action. Why is this?
Looking online I couldn’t seem to find much to explain the politics of climate change. So instead I came up with my own theory.
The problem is that climate change often finds fault in capitalism and the consumerist way of life that comes from it. Making products, transporting and selling them is a large part of capitalist culture and also a large part of this contributes towards climate change. The only way to fix climate change would be to make radical change within this and for capitalism to have to go back on itself and admit its faults rather than making forward progress. This is something that the government is unlikely to ever want to do and therefore makes climate change a political battle in trying to change these attitudes.
Joining the climate activism is a good way to put pressure on the government to make change. Radical change can only be made by those in power, so we must continue to have our say!
Thank you so much for reading. For more information please follow my socials.
Instagram – ellasecojournal / ella_baxter27
Twitter – EllaBaxter2001
Ella's Eco Journal 