What is the Barrier to "going Green"?

Socio-Economic Status as a Barrier for Sustainable Living

The reality is that sustainability is a luxury many can’t afford. If you’re worried about having enough money to pay your bills every month, which source your energy provider is using is likely not a primary concern of yours. The same goes for organic or other sustainably produced food.?Concerns of affordability often outweigh the concerns of sustainability.?This is understandable when you consider that?800 million people?go to bed hungry every night and that?17% of the world’s population, equivalent to 1.3?billion?people, has experienced moderate food insecurity (meaning they do not have regular or sufficient access to nutritious food). In fact, just here in the UK, an estimated?8.4 million people?reported having insufficient food in 2014. And lately, due to the economic situation resulting from COVID-19, food banks have seen a drastic increase in demand, highlighting “that current social security safety net measures [are] not enough to prevent poorer families being swept into destitution.” The UK’s biggest food bank network, The Trussell Trust, gave out?89%?more food parcels in April 2020, when compared to April 2019, and the Independent Food Aid Network saw a?175%?increase.

https://medium.com/wherefrom/the-accessibility-of-sustainability-9221fd3d7843

If someone is struggling to afford enough food for themselves or their family, how can we expect them to afford sustainable food??If someone is struggling to get by day to day, how can we expect them to worry about future generations??For the working class, the concept of sustainability is often an afterthought; “when challenges of poor education and social injustice consume daily life, there is often no mental capacity left to think about ‘the needs of tomorrow’.” There are innumerable things that could (and should!) be done to improve the wellbeing of many. Only then, when they’re no longer just getting by, will they be able to deliberately make eco-friendly choices with more ease.

Environmental Classism

Certain environmentally friendly products seem to charge more simply because they can. Sustainable branding is frequently used in marketing to help wealthier shoppers identify premium products. Sustainable, ethical buyers are still considered a niche market. For some, environmentalism is a status symbol. Not only that, but it is not uncommon for some environmentalists to be judgmental of others in the movement based on their actions or inactions. But here’s the rub: “environmentalism can’t afford to exclude, police, and grant participation to the handful of individuals able to live the perfect green life.” It must be diverse, include contributions from various social, economic and racial groups, and consider the challenges and experiences of others. Environmental policies need to take into account the capacity available to all members of the public to engage with them.

Disparities of Climate Change Impacts

Not only is it more difficult for lower socio-economic classes, often composed of?people of colour, to participate in sustainability due to time or financial constraints, but they are also?disproportionately affected by climate impacts?— despite the world’s?richest 10% being responsible for 50% of global carbon emissions.?In fact, if we take the US as an example, oil refineries are?disproportionately located in Black neighbourhoods?— leading to a slew of health problems. But that’s a whole other can of worms I’ll get into another time.

Reduction of Inequality as a Sustainability Driver

While we don’t want to compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs, we must ensure we are not inadvertently ignoring the needs of those alive today. We mustn’t forget the social prong of sustainability; we must address the socio-economic disparities found within our every borough. Instead of packaging the (in)accessibility of sustainable goods and services as a price issue, it helps to think of it as an income issue. Lower-income and working-class individuals will be better equipped to make environmentally friendly choices when social issues are addressed.?To tackle our environmental problems, we must first tackle our inequality problems.

Who is Responsible?

Yes, individual action is important. And yes, you should do everything you can to minimise your impact. But there’s no use in finger-pointing or shaming others who are unable to do the same. There’s a difference between being unwilling to participate in sustainable practices, and being unable.?We cannot give individual choices more attention than the structural constraints that lead people to make these choices.?We cannot make others feel guilty for decisions that are largely out of their control. Nor can we hold individuals accountable, whilst letting governments and corporations off the hook.

Governments need to incentivise and subsidise innovation in the sustainability realm and enact ambitious policy change. Wider structural and political solutions need to be put in place by the government to help people afford, choose, and prioritise ethical products. The private sector must also set ambitious targets and act upon them to help mitigate the problem of climate change that they helped create. It’s the responsibility of brands to make products that people want to buy at a reasonable price?and?make them sustainably.

As many of you know, the reality is we cannot afford to?not?be sustainable. It’s just not all up to individuals to bear the brunt of the cost.