Article by Grace Scott

Photo by Rob Wicks on Unsplash

Global temperatures are rising, ice caps are melting, and fingers are being pointed. The question is, upon whose shoulders should the blame rest and who should we look for the solution? The average consumer? Capitalist corporations? Government inaction? Or all of the above?

It is no secret that climate change is one of the biggest threats to society. Climate change affects air pollution, has the power to disrupt the world’s supply of food and can increase the risk of infectious diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) found that 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly susceptible to climate change and estimates that 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. In the face of such overwhelming consequences, it makes sense that people would look for some form of accountability, an explanation for the rapidly increasing, potentially irreversible, threats of climate change. However, in order to begin working towards some form of climate justice you must look towards the origins of the problem. After all, you cannot expect to fix something before determining what is causing the problem.

COP28, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, is scheduled to begin on the 30^th of November 2023. COP28 provides the opportunity for discussion over the nature and necessity of courses of action required to attempt to combat climate change. This event is scheduled to generate an environmentally focused conversation between governments, businesses, and NGOs. This guest list, of government and business leaders, is arguably incredibly telling. Is it possible these people are being called to discuss attempts to mitigate the problems of climate change because they are responsible, or at least important contributors, to the problem’s creation?

An argument could be made highlighting the root of climate change in consumption and excess capitalism. A product of the late 20th century, excess capitalism contributes significantly to rising carbon emissions. Climate change is born from the intense levels of global productive activity required to satisfy levels of human consumption (Urry, 2009). This could explain the importance of the inclusion of business leaders on COP28’s guest list, if companies, in sustaining excess capitalism, are helping to contribute so highly to carbon emissions. However, if a reduction in consumption is necessary to mitigate the effects of climate change, is it wise to rely on business leaders to help? Especially if a reduction in consumption could negatively impact a company’s profit.

The numerous international leaders on COP28’s guest list are also very revealing. The conference will call together a number of world leaders, suggesting the importance of government action in resolving the climate crisis. However, being held in Dubai, a country that is one of the World’s top ten oil producers and has many representatives from some of the world’s top carbon polluters, the USA and China, yet to confirm their attendance, it does not suggest that governments are really appearing to take this responsibility seriously.  

It is clear that both excessive capitalism and government negligence have the power to play an incredibly negative role in contributing to climate change. However, the average consumer also has some level of responsibility, after all, if the everyday consumer was not contributing to consumption or allowing governments to take such a negligent stance the solution has the potential to be far more developed by now. The better question might be to ask if it is even possible to place blame on one entity.  Greenhouse gas emissions permeate society’s air and are so directly linked to the global economy that they cannot just be tied to one entity, they are so ingrained within the atmosphere that only every one or no one can be held responsible (Williams, 2020). 

It is evident that, although some people may be deemed as having a greater contribution to climate change, everyone will have no choice but to meet the consequences in one way or another. Climate change is a human problem, as a direct by-product of human activity. Why do we even feel the need to find someone to blame? It is a created human problem; it will be a human problem to fix. Are our energies not better served towards finding solutions and not fighting over blame?

Reference:

Urry, J. (2009) ‘Sociology and Climate Change’, The Sociological Review, 57(s2): 84-100 

Williams, E. (2020) ‘Attributing Blame? – Climate Accountability and the Uneven Landscape of Impacts, Emissions, and Finances’, Climate Change, Vol.161 

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