There’s only one way to fight the climate greenlash: appeal to the naysayers’ self-interest | Martha Gill

andOr a decade, the green activists in Britain congratulated themselves for their luck. Unlike many countries in Europe, where car drivers, farmers, and right -wing groups were leading anti -ended work, the United Kingdom has long enjoyed a comfortable political consensus on this issue. But Greenlash conditions are assembled.

Most of the British still say they are Support climate effortsBut the price of carbon removal may be in the end about it Our governor. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party has made a long time since it wore a small green oak tree as its slogan. Last month, Kimi Badnosh announced a full cultural war against Safar, which she said could not be achieved “without a serious decrease in our living standards or by bankruptcy for us.”

The United Kingdom joins a global direction. Popular parties in Europe recorded great victories last year, and politicians who oppose climate work gaining land in Canada and Australia, and most importantly, America has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement. With the collapse of international agreements, double selfish reasons. Why should other countries be committed to preserving the planet while America evaporates?

Climate change has always been a collective work problem. This applies even to those at the sharp end. Australian bush fires remain in modern memory, however there is a large group of earth Against climate work In the country. This is not illogical: the fires were the result of global emissions, not local, Australia can fly carbon fingerprint to nothing and are still victims of neglecting other countries. But it is an early warning. Since the worst traces of climate change appear on the threshold of our doors, we may find many reasons for not behaving.

With the disruption of the two countries, then, the time may have come for activists to take another approach. The right -wing populists tend to be good in connecting climate policies; Their opposition, in contrast, is not good in announcing the benefits. As the arguments out of fashion, we may need to file an interested issue in particular to become green.

We can start with air pollution, associated with carbon emissions. In the United Kingdom, it is estimated that bad air causes up to this 43,000 deaths general. The city’s residents are used to inhaling smoky fog with unpleasant smell while running and opening their front windows, but they breathe in molecules that cause chaos on their bodies. Every few weeks, scientists find a new way to fulfill our health. It is known that pollution hurts the heart and lungs, however New results Development, bladder cancer, childhood leukemia, diabetes, cognitive delay, autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, skin aging, eye lens, these are bodies to lead our bold vehicles.

Meanwhile, fossil fuels fill our homes with harmful gases. Local boilers leak from nitrogen oxides, which confirm the airways and cause respiratory disease. It is believed that cooking gas contributes to 3928 early deaths A year in Britain, by launching heart and lung conditions. Children in homes with gas stoves are 42 % more likely To be asthma.

Traffic has more treacherous effects, too. The last amazing result is the effect Continuous health noise; Living next to a crowded road Low -level stressIn the long run, it increases the risk of stroke, diabetes and blood clots. A lot of exposure to traffic noise hurts me the growth of children’s brain. Reducing traffic in cities will also make it better in other ways. Wherever the city centers are exposed to pedestrians, they thrive, with economic and social benefits. Walking and cycling is better for us.

The switch to cleaner energy supplies will eventually reduce financial costs, as well: in the long run, the countries based on fossil fuels will be left. The solar panels have ever become cheaper. Electric cars It will soon be less than that gasoline and diesel, as the prices of batteries continue to decline around the world and producers begin to focus on the comprehensive market. They are already cheaper in running. The isolated houses will better and more heat pumps will reduce energy use. Energy security is another reason for switching to renewable energy sources: relying on imported fossil fuels makes the countries vulnerable to geopolitical events outside their control.

The general rule: supporters of “good causes” tend to emphasize their moral state, but the cold stone pragmatism can work better. Those who claim on behalf of prisoners, homeless people and drug addicts often try to like general sympathy, but this does not exceed that, especially when the times are difficult. It is better to appeal to the self -interest. The treatment of prisoners badly makes the audience less safe when they are released; He failed to deal with homelessness and this will cost us when people should remain in emergency housing. The sting with addiction treatment arranges the problem, which makes addicts depend on providing the state. As well as climate change.

If the self -interest of individual countries does not match completely while preserving the planet, this will lead to one day. The consequences may be so catastrophic that any action to alleviate this will be worth attention in the end. Meanwhile, activists must press the points in which the most intertwined altruism and selfishness overlap: shift to electric cars, electrical stoves and heat pumps will make us happier and healthier.

Martha Jill Writer Writer Observer

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