Imagine pulling up to
a Shell gas station pump.
You can't afford
an electric car,
but you're told
the company will offset
the carbon emissions
from the fuel
you're about to purchase.
How?
With carbon credits
from a new program
they've recently started.
All you need to do
is use an app.
Pay a fee.
Press a button.
And you can rest easy.
Deep down,
you know something's wrong.
Devastating
wildfires, heat waves,
floods, storms, droughts.
This is the climate crisis.
And we need to do
something about it now.
And this pump-side promise,
isn't going to change things
for the better.
Just like
many of the promises made
by governments
and corporations won't.
The real question is: why?
And don't worry,
we'll return to the gas
pump shortly.
It's a really important
part of the story,
You see,
whether you realize it
or not, you, me,
and people
all over
the world
are in an invisible cage
made out of carbon.
So what is a carbon cage
and how did we end up in it?
I'll explain.
Let's start
at the very beginning.
We're all born into a system
that demands
we engage in activities
that emit carbon
just to survive.
This constant need
for resources
creates invisible bars
all around us,
and they are built
and reinforced
with carbon dioxide.
These bars
prevent us from addressing
carbon's role
in climate change
on a real and systemic level.
See, the interconnected
bars of the carbon cage
are actually part
of a commodified existence
that keeps us trapped
in a cycle of resource
dependance.
By commodified existence.
I'm talking about
the need to make money
to survive,
to get jobs to live,
and the role of consumption
and keeping the
whole thing going.
So how did we get here
and why is carbon
specifically so important
to talk about?
To understand that,
let's rewind
to the 1800s
and the dawn
of the industrial era.
Importantly, in 1850,
steam power
was invented in Great Britain
as a way to use coal energy
more efficiently.
Soon, steam engines were used
to power
trains, ships
and industrial machinery.
The discovery of electricity
and oil was supported
by the development
of the internal combustion
engine,
furthering our
economic dependance
on carbon.
By the end of
the 20th century,
we became so
dependent on depleting
finite fossil fuels
the coal, oil and natural
gas derived from the remains
of prehistoric plants
and animals
that we burned
through millions of years
of accumulated fossil fuels
in just a few generations.
Since the
burning of fossil fuels
releases carbon dioxide,
the result has been
a major
increase of CO2
in the atmosphere.
Let's just take a look
at carbon dioxide.
In 1750, we were here.
Right now,
we're all the way up here.
The last time
Earth experienced
similar levels of atmospheric
CO2 was over
4 million years ago
during the Pliocene,
when a giant terror bird
named Titanis
roamed North America.
The fact is,
the entire history
of our economic development
has been dependent
on fossil fuels,
and it shows no real
signs of stopping.
That's in part
because it's
an economic system
that requires
limitless growth
on a limited planet.
And carbon
dioxide
is a stubbornly persistent
heat trapping gas.
Given
that CO2 can stay
in the atmosphere
for up to a thousand years,
some of the emissions
from the industrial
era are still with us today,
and everything else
we're burning right now
will be in the atmosphere
for even longer.
Now let's take a look at
how the initial bars
of our commodified
existence are reinforced
with new bars
keeping us trapped.
Let's zoom out
and take a look at those bars
made up of trucks, ships
and every Amazon package
currently
sitting on your doorstep.
I'm talking about our
global supply chain
and specifically
our system of production
and consumption.
Companies want to produce
things cheaply.
This ramped up in the 1980s
with more and more production
occurring in the Global South
and products
shipped to the Global North.
This type of globalization
comes with
a substantial
carbon footprint.
But what's the actual carbon
cost of all of this?
In fact, one study suggests
that just eight global supply
chains are responsible
for 50% of global emissions.
And yes,
I'm talking about that
new iPhone in your pocket.
All of this
comes in at
even greater cost.
And I'm not just talking
about the obvious inequality
built into the system.
To accommodate
the resource use pollution
and carbon
emissions
of overdeveloped countries
like the US and Canada.
We literally need over
five planet earths.
This takes us
to another set of bars.
It's something that companies
are doing
to take our attention away
from the effects
that the economies
grow or die
ethos is having on the planet
and our lives.
I'm talking
about greenwashing.
Let's go back
to that gas pump
and specifically
the carbon offsets
touted by companies
like Shell.
Carbon offsetting
is based on the idea
that companies and countries
can invest in climate
related projects
around the world
to cancel out their own
carbon emissions.
Think of it this way
it's like telling
yourself it's okay
to cheat on a big test
you have coming up.
As long as you pay
someone else not to cheat,
as though that somehow
cancels out your actions.
And with offsets,
there's a lot more at stake.
By May 2021, over 4.3
billion carbon offsets
had been issued globally.
But there's a problem.
Study after study confirms
that there are major issues
with carbon offsetting.
One, their potential climate
benefits are
often overestimated.
Two,
they would have
happened anyways,
so they're not new.
And three,
they don't actually
lower emissions.
They just take us back
to where we started.
And suddenly,
two conflicts
over land and human
rights abuses.
And there are major issues
with how offsetting
is regulated.
Ultimately, it's
greenwashing at its finest.
For the net zero
commitments of all companies
and countries globally,
land roughly equal
to all of the
farmland on earth
would be needed.
Such plans
simply aren't credible.
What's more, forests burn.
Trees die,
and they are no substitute
for a plan
that actually takes us
to zero
and leaves the fossil
fuels in the ground
where the carbon is
permanently stored.
Also, net zero is not
actually zero.
As you can see,
this isn't helping.
It's simply distracting us
from the bigger picture.
Let's move on.
I'm pretty sure
you have one of these.
From the mining of minerals
to the manufacture of parts
to industrial assembly,
to shipping to e-waste.
The life
cycle of your smartphone
is incredibly
carbon intensive.
So why do so many of us
upgrade our phones
every two years?
Well before
the end of their life?
Well,
it's connected to
another set of bars
made up of planned
obsolescence,
slick advertising,
our own desires
to have the newest things,
and more.
Companies need to
keep us buying
whether it makes sense
or not.
Once again,
we can trace this
back to carbon.
There's a major cost
to the short lives
of our consumer electronics.
Emissions from smartphones
are going up rapidly.
They were at 580 million
tons of carbon
dioxide equivalent in 2020.
That's 730% higher than 2011.
And that's a trend
that's only going up.
So smart phones on their own
are contributing
to a heating planet.
And so
we're back
at the gas pump
and a final set of bars.
Emissions
and their effect
on the global climate and us.
Burning fossil fuels
is the prime culprit
in causing climate breakdown.
So we simply have to stop
burning them.
Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron
and BP
have alone
accounted for over 10%
of global emissions
since 1965.
A recent study found that
these same four companies
also contributed
to greenwashing the most.
Now, let's
look at the effects
of all of this
and what's happening
to our planet.
Research shows
that over the last 60 years,
global
agricultural productivity
has declined 21%,
a trend that will continue
to intensify.
Widespread hunger
and food insecurity,
maybe the future.
There were a record number
of hurricanes, wildfires
and floods globally
in 2020,
costing
$210 billion in losses.
Infrastructure,
homes and livelihoods,
have been devastated.
Global sea levels have
risen 8 to 9 inches
since 1880.
If we continue on this path,
cities will be inundated
and small island
states will disappear.
And that's not
taking into account
the projected
1.2 billion climate
refugees by 2050.
The impact
on indigenous communities,
the loss of ecosystems
and the impacts of extreme
heat on our health.
And all of this
is incredibly difficult
to deal with,
given that we're often pitted
against each other
in our need
for jobs and survival.
So what do we do now?
Overall,
the cage can seem
pretty overwhelming,
but if we start
to think about
how we can weaken
certain parts
to get us
where we need to go,
we can build
some of the momentum we need.
Take the work being done
on a just transition.
It's an idea
that comes out of the labor
and environmental
justice movements.
Those working in carbon
intensive
and polluting industries
and those harmed by them.
It's no secret
that those least responsible
for climate breakdown
are paying the greatest cost.
By centering
justice and equity,
it's a movement
working to ensure
that we've got a plan
for dignified, fair
and sustainable jobs.
That respond
to the climate crisis
and include everyone.
What we need to do now
is imagine
jobs that are good for us
and good for the planet.
Imagine redirecting
just a fraction
of the estimated $5.9 trillion
in global fossil fuel
subsidies to jobs in local
and community
owned renewables,
promoting energy,
democracy
and lowering energy costs.
With that,
we might destabilize
bars connected to livelihoods
and the cost of living.
And we can free ourselves
in other ways, too.
What if we took back control,
demanding things
were built to last?
Repairing things ourselves.
Public transit
that everyone can use.
Livable cities.
What about local farming,
community gardens
and green space for everyone?
What if we prioritize
more humane, greener jobs,
greater control
over the cost of living
and supporting
community connections
and equity
over living to consume?
The possibilities
are endless.
For far too long,
we've accepted the myth
that we're consumers
that have to take
what companies give us.
You see,
while the carbon cage
may be strong,
it doesn't have
to last forever.