Global warming, rising sea levels, loss of sea ice, melting glaciers and ice sheets, natural calamity of unprecedented intensity, and a several dozens of glaring phenomena tell us in simple but very harsh language that we have messed up our own planet. No longer is it necessary for scientists to tell us all that or how bleak our future looks, that the temperature rise of 1.5°C above pre-industrial revolution level is an absolute limit to our planet’s tolerance, and that the primary contributor to this existential threat are Green House Gases (GHG) of which CO₂ and Methane CH₄ are undisputed leaders.

“With awareness come responsibility and choice.”

– Amanda Lindhout, Canadian humanitarian and Journalist

So, what are we to do and what do we teach our children? We could adopt the “NO SCIENCE” argument or choose to step up and do the hard thing – make the change. Climate change initiatives can be one of myriad choices. Renewable energy is well known and widely practiced. Shrinking Carbon Footprint via local sourcing, inefficient travelling, active transport – biking and walking instead of driving – and Carbon Capture such as planting trees,… the list goes on.

Perhaps the most powerful personal initiative of all, is one that is most overlooked because it doesn’t reduce GHG, at least not directly. It is called “Conscious Consumption” and it is more than eating plant-based and waste reduction – both will reduce methane footprint associated with life stock farming – or reduce plastics, although all those are absolute game-changing initiatives. Conscious Consumption begs us to not just make a change but to cause changes. How, you ask? The same way that changes are caused in democratic societies – through your votes. In the world of consumption, your money is your vote, and your spending decision is your voice. By choosing not to purchase from unsustainable sources, we are casting a vote for sustainability.

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

― Leo Tolstoy

And indeed, it must be recognized that change, though constant, is fun only when it happens to someone or something else. Perhaps this time, with ample awareness, there is satisfaction in changing ourselves also.