Shifting responsibility to consumers minimises the role of energy industry and policymakers, University of Sydney research suggests
Electricity generation is responsible for close to half of Australia’s emissions, based on 2021 International Energy Agency estimates, with transport and industry also major emitters.
In the context of the energy market, Van Laer said, storytelling should emphasise the role of companies and governments alongside individuals.
“At the moment, it’s not presented that way,” he said.
“It’s like ‘you, consumer, you can do this on your own and then we [companies] will fall in line.”
Be a political consumer, and you’ll reduce the pollution right now, this minute, 100% certainty. But only one person’s worth of pollution.
If you vote and protest, you can take away other people’s ability to pollute, and do more than one person’s worth of work. But it’ll be slow, and it might not work.
Vote, then protest if you can, then go vegan if you can.