Remember the chart from the article on Carbon Tax? It showed where energy comes from and how it’s used by every household. Well, there’s an additional source of emissions that you ought to know about—it comes from everything you buy.
Whether it’s footwear, televisions, or the cups in your cupboard, everything which sustains you comes from some kind of business. And business uses the exact same chart to make their goods. So if you buy a lot of things, you put up a lot of carbon. That’s what young Greta was trying to say.
Every sweater you own comes with a carbon price tag. As a matter of fact, it’s even bigger than what you directly cause.
- Direct (23%) – the electricity, gas, and heating material you use on a daily basis.
- Consumption (77%) – the electricity, gas, and heating material used to generate and transport everything you buy.
Greta was talking about overall consumption and asked us to buy less. It’s the dirty little secret of climate change. The one politicians never tell you because it involves shrinking economics. CBC’s Rosemary Barton pushed Elisabeth May on the issue and she said, “Our plan doesn’t ask people to give up anything.” (Start at the 21-minute mark.)
Conclusion
When climate change first hit the scene many were emotional about it. “We have to save the planet, we have to save the planet.” But now warning about the problem isn’t good enough, practical people want to see a plan. And like it or not, until we green the grid and move to electric motors, it involves consumption. Politicians don’t tell you this because consumption is what drives the workplace. So if everyone bought less, GDP would be less. Not welcome in a world full of debt.
Remember, the economy works like this: raw material comes from Mother Nature and we add labour to bring it to you. So the furniture in your home used to be a tree, and the chainsaw used to cut it was also made from elements. Every step of the process causes carbon. From mining, to farming, to manufacturing, to distribution—everything puts up emissions. So if you want to be an activist and reduce global warming, over the next 20-30 years you’ll have to consume less.
That’s what a 16-year-old just told you.
Note: President Obama recently met Greta and said they would become great friends. This summer he bought a humongous mansion by the sea. Can’t wait til she visits.