The case for individual climate action
Imagine a world of abundance
Imagine a world where you can eat whatever you want as much as you want it.
Imagine a world where you can travel anywhere, as much as you want,
without feeling bad for the environment.
Imagine an abundance of everything for everybody, forever.
Imagine equality for everyone, everywhere.
Sounds impossible. It is not.
Fixing climate change feels impossible. It is not.
In fact, fixing climate change is the lever to create a better life for everyone, everywhere.
What if I told you that every one of us IS the solution?
It’s not just politics, it’s not just companies, it’s individuals.
While it’s not our fault that we are in a climate crisis today, it is our duty to fix it.
Back in the day people did not have a choice.
Either you have a fossil-powered car, or you don’t have a car at all.
Individual Impact
Today we have options. The sustainable future is already here.
We must embrace it and make it the only reality going forward.
Here is the trick: Yes, governments and companies have huge levers to change things. BUT
Every one of us is part of a political system.
Every one of us is part of a company we work for.
Every one of us is part of the economy where we sell and buy goods.
So every one of us can
ditch destructive legacy products and practices and choose the sustainable, better alternative available to them.
We need a system that provides everything for everybody infinitely.
That means a thriving planet for all generations to come. That’s called sustainability.
It doesn’t mean we should live a little bit more sustainably.
For example, drive less in our fossil cars. NO.
It means a lifestyle everyone can live infinitely - without destroying our planet. A system change!
And as long as we don’t live that lifestyle, we must change something.
On a big scale, the solutions are simple:
Stop using fossil resources: Electrify everything, and Go plastic-free.
Stop growing animals: And start growing plants.
Extend the life of things: Buy second-hand, renewed or circular products, and avoid single-use items.
I am sure you heard this before.
But still, some of us feel helpless, anxious or have simply resigned. I felt the same way.
What can I do? My actions don’t matter anyways… How am I supposed to change the world?
As soon as we know enough about the severity of the problem and how we can solve it,
we can take action. And action is what we need.
What do I call people that drive a sustainable system?
What do I call people that try to live the most sustainable lifestyle possible?
I call them Climate Consumers or Climesumers.
Climesumers
Climesumers take individual, holistic and effective climate action.
They try to:
- Swap destructive, legacy products for sustainable clean alternatives to
- Learn about sustainability and climate change and
- Work for companies that take action today and get political..
Over the last months, I created a website where I manually curated over 500 resources to help anyone become a Climesumer. On it you find:
- Sustainable alternatives for every product category.
- Educational Resources: like online courses, videos, podcasts, newsletters, movies, books, news outlets and reports.
- Online communities and job boards peers and work with impact.
- Resources to become politically active
On climesumer.com, you find everything you need to live the most sustainable lifestyle possible.
Our world is far from perfect, which means we, individuals, consumers, are needed more than ever.
Not all sustainable solutions are available everywhere, yet.
No change in history just happened. We, the people, have to demand it.
We hold the power.
We vote with our money and our presence and now
We have the tools to take action.
A sustainable world can be a world of abundance
A sustainable world is a world of abundance.
A world where I can drive a car or fly a plane as much as I want because it has zero emissions.
A world where I can use as much electricity as I want because electricity is produced renewably.
A world where we treat animals as sentient beings just as we are. Not to be eaten but to be treasured.
With every positive action on my Climesumer journey, I feel more empowered and capable.
At first, it is an adjustment. But now, with
every card purchase using my sustainable bank,
every vegan meal I eat, and
every time I brush my teeth with plastic-free toothpaste,
I feel good.
I am not saving the planet, I am saving myself and future generations.
In other areas of our life, we love going outside of our comfort zone. We can choose to do so.
The truth is, for some, often the most vulnerable, the uncomfortable reality of climate change is already here.
They have been put outside their comfort zone and can no longer choose.
I invite you to become a Climesumer.
Let’s go outside our comfort zone today to create a comfortable planet with an abundance of everything for everybody for all future generations.
Written by Simon Heuschkel, the creator of Climesumer.