Who needs to take action

Now that the climate crisis is upon us, who needs to take action? Is it the customer, who votes with his wallet? Is it the politicians? The citizens that demonstrate on the street?

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The goal of the co2data.org project is to create awareness for CO2. And let’s say that the awareness grows. What now?

Is it on us?

We know that CO2 is a real problem for the planet. Much of the CO2 and other greenhouse gases are caused by humans. So it’s on us to reduce CO2. But who is “us”?

Many discussions around CO2 blame the common people. If everyone just reduces their CO2 footprint the problem would be solved. Yes, but this is never going to happen. Many people have other priorities and worries. So just hoping for this to happen is an illusion.

Another aspect is, that for companies it is very comfortable to blame the consumer. Companies say that they only sell what the customers want. If the customers would not demand products and services that cause CO2 the problem would be solved. But the truth is, that much of the CO2 is caused while producing and transporting goods and services. So why is the consumer being blamed for the CO2?

Why the producers need to take action

If the producers are responsible for the CO2 that they cause, we would have a real chance of reducing CO2.

First, it is much easier for companies to have a real impact in reducing CO2. While individuals can reduce a few tons per year at most, a company can reduce a few thousand or hundred thousand tons of CO2 per year.

Second, it is easier to enforce any policy on companies. While it’s really hard to have a large percentage of consumers doing something about their CO2 footprint, or even trying to enforce it, it’s relatively easy to make companies comply. Not complying companies could be taxed or get fined with less bureaucracy than individuals.

So are we off the hook?

Sadly we can not just sit back and blame the companies. It is on us to enforce change. Only if we put pressure on our government policies will be put in place. Policies that make the producers responsible for the CO2 that they cause.