I WAS interested to read year 12 Kelso High student Zac Belmonte's thoughts ("Climate strikers should look at their own choices", September 18) about taking individual action to combat climate change.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He makes the point that "sole responsibility should not be placed on government to find a solution". I agree with this. It is up to all of us to think about how, personally, we are going to respond to the challenge.
However, real change is unlikely to happen by simply appealing to everyone to "do the right thing".
READ ALSO:
Let's take the example of income tax, which gets redistributed to pay for schools, hospitals and roads.
Let's say it was completely voluntary and up to the individual how much or even whether they were going to contribute.
Even those of us who sincerely believed in contributing to the best of our ability might start thinking, "Oh, I'm broke at the moment! I'll pay tax next year."
Government coffers would shrink pretty fast.
Yes, individual ethical actions are important, but they can't do the job alone.
Whatever we decide to do about climate change (carbon tax? renewables targets?), it needs to be legislated.
I believe it is also unreasonable to expect everyone who wants action on climate change to be "pure" in their own individual lives. This is impossible - we are all bound into this polluting society by a thousand threads.
We need change at all levels, from household to government.
