Get involved: Individual action

"How can I help?"

I love it when this question pops up in a discussion about the climate crisis. Awareness about crises comes with a lot of distress and every helping hand is most welcome. Whenever someone asks me this question, I suggest them these 3 steps:

This post is dedicated to Step 2 but if you haven't read about Step 1, I request you to do so before reading on. If you're wondering why I may be delaying your personal involvement when I welcomed it just a few lines above, there are many reasons:

• Climate change is a long-term problem which can't be solved with sporadic efforts. Just like renewing your gym membership on New Year's is not enough to get fit, similarly, climate change also requires sustained lifestyle choices. In my experience, knowing the reasons behind suggested choices helps people sustain them as habits.
• I'm a big fan of maximizing impact for your efforts. The climate crisis is not the only problem the world is facing, nor is it the only problem that you and I face in our individual lives. You do not need to become an activist to get involved. You are also not expected to make unreasonable or disruptive 'sacrifices'. Understanding why some of our actions are more harmful than others helps us make the most important changes first. Less burnout for sure!
• The world today is rife with misinformation. Lobbies with vested interests profit from spreading confusion and delaying climate action. Knowing the basics helps filter the propaganda.

That's Step 1 - learning about the climate crisis on a regular basis. Adjust the frequency of reading about the crisis based on your own preferences -- remember, knowledge is meant to empower you, not distress you. (It may distress you a bit in the beginning, and that's okay.)

Step 2: Commit to at least one climate-friendly lifestyle choice

All climate-friendly lifestyle choices are based on the fact that climate change is caused due to rising levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Hence, the goal is to limit emissions of these GHGs. Here are my top 3 suggestions, tailored for an urban Indian audience:

1.  Less flying

Emissions from the aviation sector are a classic example of climate injustice -- typically, only a handful of people fly a lot, and these are also the people who are likely to be less vulnerable to the impact of their own carbon footprints. If you fly a lot, this is you. For perspective, read this piece by the Guardian.

The solution is straightforward: avoid flying. But when have vague goals ever helped? Instead, commit to measurable goals.

You get to choose 'x' depending on your situation.

2.  Less fossil-fuel-guzzling cars

Avoiding a fossil-fuel-based car is one of the most impactful ways you can help. However, this may not be a straightforward choice. Budgetary constraints dictate the choice of a car for most of us. It is also not easy to live without a car if you do not have safe and comfortable public transport around. Depending on your situation, you can commit to any of the following:

My favourite recommendation? Walk whenever you can! ✌

3.  More vegan choices

Your food preferences need not be black-and-white. While the spectrum does go from a climate-unfriendly non-vegetarian diet to a climate-friendly vegan diet, you can commit to making small changes:

Again, you get to choose 'x'. Also note that you can make your goals on a weekly or on a monthly basis. This is for all those who tell me they can't "go vegan" or "give up meat" -- you don't have to! Reducing the frequency of your consumption is good enough.

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I am confident that most urban Indians would find at least one of these 8 recommendations feasible and palatable. Of course, a quick search on the internet can also tell you many other ways to reduce your carbon footprint. I recommend starting slow but going steady.

Lastly, please note that all of these are meant to be suggestions. I trust readers to make conscientious choices for their own selves according to their abilities and their preferences. I also do not support any "climate-shaming", however impactful or urgent it may seem. If you want others to be as climate-friendly as you, demand appropriate policy measures from your governments. For this purpose, it is important to not stop here at Step 2 but move forward to the next step of collective action (upcoming post).

🔙   to Step 1

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