On the climate emergency, we need better answers, and better questions.
I watched the debate between the two people who want to run the country. Needless to say the climate change discussion didn’t go well.
(I originally shared this post on LinkedIn)
I’m not quite sure why I bothered, but I decided to watch the debate between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss last night on BBC1.
I don’t really need much more reminding right now of what a mess this country is in.
There were many low points, and unsuprisingly one of them related to their response the climate crisis.
Sunak chose to respond to the biggest crisis we face by suggesting that he listens to the experts in his house on this issue — his kids.
He then suggested recycling better. Yes, in response to our greatest existential threat — do your best to put the right things in the right bin.
He understands it’s a pain having all those bins, but you know, stick with it.
Oh and innovation. Of course. Innovation.
Truss wasn’t much better. At least her focus on reducing waste was a step up the waste hierarchy from recycling as a solution to the climate crisis. But it didn’t take her long to get onto reducing green levies on bills — and we can guess the road she’s heading down here.
What an uninspiring choice we won’t get to make.
But it wasn’t just the answers that were poor. The question was too:
“What three things should people change in their lives to help tackle climate change faster?”
It was an odd choice of emphasis.
Why ask two people who want to run the country what the rest of us should do?
Why not ask them what they are going to do, once they’re in charge?
After all, they want to run the country. They want to be in a position to make big, strategic decisions.
Tell us what you’ll do. Not what you think we should do.
This matters because when it comes to tackling the climate crisis, we can end up focusing too much on the things we can do as individuals, and less on the big systemic changes that we need.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the power of individual action. It’s something we’ve focused on a lot through Zero Waste Leeds. We believe even more in the power of coming together as a local community to act — like with Leeds School Uniform Exchange.
But more than anything we need big changes — things that businesses and Governments need to be leading on.
We need better answers from people with power. But it’s a reminder that we need to be asking better questions too — both of them and of ourselves.