Why Should You Act?

We are part of a system which simultaneously destroys us and the planet.

As you read this article, you might be on campus. Take a look around; at the trash cans, for instance: the recycling one is probably empty, and its content is in the regular bin. If someone passes by you, there are chances they’re drinking out of a plastic bottle or a can; and if you reach into your bag or, more likely, your pocket, you’ll find a phone that’s programmed to die soon.

There’s plenty more I could say; but I surely would not teach you anything. We know these things. They’re common knowledge around here.

And yet, we don’t do much about it, do we?

Why ?

We know how our world works, and we also know who to blame. If the problem doesn’t come from us, but from states, firms, banks, and actors so much more powerful than us, then what good are we? We can still appeal to the state; we can protest, and we can march. Meanwhile, we remain part of that world we so desperately want to change.

Beyond that, it is difficult to break out. The problem is everywhere we look; it is ingrained in our habits, in our minds. We are addicted to our phones, just like we enjoy the food that kills us, and we certainly don’t want to miss out on the opportunities modern life gives us. Taking a step back from our entire socialisation is more than challenging. And yet, we definitely should break out of this cycle. The world we inhabit is hardly meant to improve our living conditions anymore. Our phones are money-making machines built on exploitation. The food we eat destroys the planet—and our health in the process. Our humanity is seriously jeopardised—body and mind.

More than that, how do we expect to credibly transform the world for the better, if we cannot even transform ourselves?

How do we break a wheel which we need to keep turning?

We at Sciences Po all have the privilege to know about climate change, about the threat that’s looming. I don’t think ecology is about waiting for a miracle. Because let’s call it what it is: it will take years for the judiciary to make fossil banks stop financing new oil projects. It will take even longer for them to become green—if that’s even possible. It will take forever to make billionaires renounce their wealth.

Meanwhile, pipes are still pumping oil, the air we breathe is still suffocating us, disasters are multiplying, and our only planet is still going up in flames. People are already dying, and it will not stop until we do something.

I believe in individual action, because I believe in our capacity as human beings to think and reflect on what others are doing. We always think we’re more lonely than we actually are. I want to believe that if tomorrow, everybody acted upon reading this article, then the world would start changing a little faster. It starts with recycling, cutting meat consumption, thinking twice about consuming, wondering whether that plane is really worth it. By dedicating our time to the present and getting involved in associations. It begins with us cutting the ones responsible off completely. We don’t need them, and we could prove it. If only we got over ourselves; it doesn’t have to be easy, it doesn’t have to be groundbreaking. It has to be human, and it has to be all of us.

It is evident that we can’t all act in the same way, and that some face greater—often financial—constraints. But this article exists for those who can act. Those of us who have the means to take a train instead of a plane to go to Spain, the time to buy second-hand, and the knowledge to think about their actions.

Obviously, this will not solve the problem of broader policies—I’m thinking of world inequalities in the responsibilities for and the consequences of climate change, for instance. But it will send a signal, a message that we don’t want the world as it is, and that we don’t need it; that it is replaceable. If democracy ever meant something, then perhaps this is it. We still have some power to do the right thing. We can’t make it on our own, and we need our governments to listen; but we are definitely not powerless.

If you are wondering how to concretely reduce your ecological footprint, click here to access SPE’s guide and ecological tips!