The Truth We Ignore

Let's face it: your metal straw is of no use to the planet. There. I stated it. While we pat ourselves on the back for skipping a plastic bag or swapping to oat milk, the ice caps continue to melt, and billion-dollar industries keep burning the Earth with impunity.
I'm not here to be pessimistic. I’m here to expose the uncomfortable truth: we’ve been sold a feel-good fantasy, and it's time we wake up.

1. The Lie of the “Green Individual”
You have probably been told that we could stop climate change if everyone just made a few changes, like riding bikes more, eating less meat, and recycling better. It sounds hopeful. It gives me confidence. However, this is false. The data is not deceptive. Over 70% of global emissions are caused by a hundred businesses. They also want you to believe that you are to blame for this crisis. Why? because it is simpler for disengaged citizens than for regulated billionaires.

2. Green when it's a luxury Eco-living is often portrayed as easy. However, inform someone who works two jobs or lives in a food desert of that. Are solar panels? Out of reach. Organic products? Too expensive. Public transport? In many cities, it’s a joke. Sustainability has been packaged for the elite—and the rest are left with guilt and judgment.

3. The Development of Eco-Theater Reusable straws. Bamboo toothbrushes. Carbon offsets sold by airlines that pollute anyway. These are just props in an eco-theater meant to make us feel better, not solutions. Green capitalism sells us the illusion of change, while the real villains stay untouched.

4. The Power We Do Have
But that doesn't mean we can't do something. In fact, we hold the most important tool of all: our voices. I vote for leaders with real climate policies. I support organizations with teeth, attend rallies, and sign petitions. Change doesn’t happen from the compost bin—it happens in the streets, in the courts, and at the ballot box.

5. Over with the guilt. Stop making people feel bad about not being perfect environmentalists. That mindset divides us. Let's create a pragmatic movement rather than preaching purity. One that demands real accountability, not performative progress.
I still recycle. I still carry my reusable bottle. But I don’t delude myself into thinking that alone will save the planet.
Because the truth is brutal:
The planet is dying because profit is protected by power, not because we forgot our bags. If we want a future, we have to get real.

Organizing, voting, and protesting are all necessary, as is demanding better from ourselves and, more importantly, those in power.
Because the harsh reality is that power safeguards profit, not because we forgot our tote bags, which is why the planet is dying.We must be realistic if we hope for a future. This entails planning, casting a ballot, demonstrating, and, yes, calling for better treatment from those in authority as well as from ourselves.

Sustainable living has great power, but speaking up increases that power. I began planning beach clean-ups. I then started influencing local authorities. I am the leader of a youth eco-group today. Since silence is a luxury we can no longer afford and action is contagious. I am only one person, yes. But a forest can be lit by a single spark. A whisper has the power to become a roar. Repeatedly making the same decision can change the course of events. You already have the ability to make a difference, in case you're still unsure. All you need to do is start. And make safe your childrens future