SAMIR NAZARETH
UNICEF describes cli mate anxiety or eco anxiety as ‘heightened emotional, mental or phys ical distress in response to dangerous changes in the climate. Climate anxiety rep resents real and valid feelings of fear, worry, stress, help lessness and unease related to evolving climate crises. This is usually felt by the younger generation whose futures, including livelihood, are threatened by Climate Change.’ As per research published in The Lancelet in 2021 on a survey of 10,000 people in the age group 16 25, ‘Respondents across all countries were worried about climate change (59% were very or extremely wor ried and 84% were at least moderately worried).’ That climate change threat ens human existence, is clear. But is the menace of climate change the only exacerbating factor of climate anxiety? One immediate outcome of climate change is the for mation of many new organ isations, while older organ isations reinterpret their founding statutes to remain relevant. Currently, old and new organisations combat climate change by focussing on one or a combination of the following issues, themes or methods — indigenous groups, rights, justice, equi ty, renewables, consumer ism, fossil fuels, agriculture, government policy, vegetar ianism, feminism, degrowth, forests, air pollution, health, resilience, mitigation, ad aptation, finance, humour, story-telling. Terms like sys temic change, intentionality, intersectionality tag along with these approaches. The unintentional corollary of these diverse solutions and verbiage is the magnification of the problem. As a conse quence, from an individual’s perspective climate change becomes insurmountable.
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Climate change, which is one threat, grows into this com plex amorphous beast. Nat urally, many conclude that they are powerless against it. This can result in anxiety. Combating climate change presents a dilemma — should the solution to a problem ad dress its diverse impacts or the causes of the problem? The current work on cli mate change brings to mind the fable of the blind men describing an elephant. Each blind man held a different part of the animal and confi dently described the creature as per what he was touching. It seems that one has to be in the know of these terms and approaches to do an ything to prevent climate change. Are these organi sations, their paths and lan guage obfuscating any chance of actual successful solutions designed for individuals? When organisations sell solutions, as per their spe cialisation, it either obscures the problem or overwhelms people with choices. It is im possible to start anywhere when one is living in a solu tions-filled Tower of Babel. The many avataars com bating climate change creates a paradox of choice if not cognitive overload for the lay person which can result in anxiety. If knowing and applying these terms are key to fighting climate change then there is a reason why climate change seems inevitable and individ ual efforts seem puny. Does a person need to be part of a group to fight climate change? Can individuals take agency to prevent climate change? In the daily life of an individual, can the desire to save money combined with the reintro duction of practices of the older generation be a way to combat climate change? For the older generations, less translated to more.
To day’s generation needs more for their chase for less. Con venience used to be a luxury now it is a necessity. We live in a world where it is simpler to dispose things than to mend them. Replacing things in stead of mending them saves time and effort. The cash ex pense of replacement is not seen as a cost when the no tion of time and effort saved is brought into the picture. Mending clothes and household goods saves mon ey and is good for the envi ronment. If a penny saved is a penny earned, then not fall ing into the fashion trap and extending the life of clothes by mending them saves mon ey. Further, it prevents water use and carbon release from the textile and fashion indus try. The UNEP reports that a pair of jeans requires 3,000 to 4000 litres of water to pro duce, and ‘the global apparel and footwear industries ac count for an estimated 2 to 8 per cent of the world´s green house gas emissions. ‘ Reverting to what our par ents and grandparents did when it comes to food hab its can also reduce expenses and combat climate change. Purchasing seasonal vege tables is cheaper because of their higher production and lower storage costs which also means lower energy consumption.
Local vegeta bles usually cost less because of reduced transportation costs which also means less fossil fuel is consumed in bringing it to the kitchen. Per UN, ‘Shopping and eat ing local can help reduce the food miles travelled and can help an individual save up to 1.1 tons of carbon emissions annually.’ Installing solar panels at home is a good way to bring down outgoings and is good for the environment. Wa ter conservation methods ranging from fixing leaks to installing low-flow aerators, taking shorter showers, con scious flushing, and land scaping gardens with drought resistant plants go a long way in personal efforts to combat climate change. Avoiding aerated drinks is a healthy way to save money and protect the climate. The sugar industry including cane cultivation is water intensive. Mining bauxite for alumin ium, used in cans, is energy and water intensive. Plastic is not only non-biodegradable but is a fossil fuel by-product. Then there are the issues of their transportation and re frigeration. Walking, cycling, us ing public transport and car-pooling are healthy ways to cut costs and emissions. These simple, rational, and grounded, individual behav iours are the building blocks to structural and systemic change. Individual action to protect the planet can also help reduce, if not resolve, climate anxiety.
It is a way for people to wrest control from jargonisation that can confuse and therefore disem power. The older generation tried and tested many of these sug gestions, these stood them in good stead. However, today these are labelled inconven ient, antediluvian and there fore dispensable. But one thing that remains unchanged is the rule for financial securi ty. Budgeting a third of one’s income for saving. Perhaps more can be saved when cli mate is brought into the mix. What is good for your bank balance can be good for the environment. (Samir Nazareth is an author and writes on socio-economic and environmental issues)
