Bemoaning the social and environmental cost of electric vehicles and the lithium which makes them possible got me thinking. What is the average consumer to do in the face of gigatons of carbon being released into the atmosphere each year. If every one of us was able to use bikes to go to work and adopted a vegan lifestyle involving little or no travel would it impact the trajectory of climate change?
The answer is it would probably make very little difference in the short run. Compared to the number of third world consumers trying to make the jump to a first world lifestyle, our individual choice to consume less is the proverbial drop in the bucket.
As we become disillusioned by our leaders' inability to make the massive governmental actions necessary to really address the crisis it becomes comforting for individuals to make personal choices in line with efforts to save the planet. While it is not nothing and commendable, it is also not going to make much difference in the long run. Pressure campaigns to force our government and multi-national corporations to do the right environmental things is a better solution.
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