Understanding what it is, knowing your own and starting to reduce your ecological footprint.

Intro

"About 89% of the public want their governments to do more to tackle the climate crisis – but don’t know they’re the majority..." so I read in several news articles in the past week.

And now many NGOs and scientists believe that we need to activate these people to convince their governments to do more. To reach a social tipping point, so that governments have to listen...

But if that 89% of the population didn't wait for their government, but simply started living within the limits of the only planet we have, the climate crisis would be solved within 10 years.

What we need is for those people to become aware of their own ecological footprint and what they need to do about it. That is much more useful than encouraging them to become activists trying to force their government to take action.

I can assure you that as soon as all those people realize that activating their government means they themselves have to consume considerably less, their urge to take action -if any- will quickly disappear.

Improve the world, start with yourself.

Climate change...

Or the term I personally prefer because it expresses the seriousness of what is going wrong with our living environment: Earth Crisis. Why do almost everyone avoids the one topic that could really do something about the rapidly deteriorating health of the earth. We have to get a grip on completely out-of-control human consumption.

Why is this not THE BIG issue that everyone talks about every day, that the newspapers are full of, and that entire government plans are written around?

Because it would sharply decrease corporate profits? Or because it requires honest politicians telling you it MUST be less, or even order you to buy less? And that's bad for their careers? Perhaps because you and I know that would require us to confront ourselves with our own overconsumption? And we would have to work hard to consume less, much less?

All three?

Isn't the social tipping point that we really need, a majority of people consuming within the boundaries of the earth?

Take a dive into human consuming habits and change your own !

ALL WE NEED IS LESS CONSUMING

Through my artworks I ask you to reflect for a moment on the nature around you, on the beautiful feeling that nature can evoke. Thus to think about your actions to support the wellbeing of the earth and everything that lives on it. And on what humanity loses when many of us continue on the destructive path of ever more greed and consuming. And please, reflect on how you can survive in this rapidly changing world…

So do you want to know your ecological footprint? 

Then visit this website: https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en 

And do you want to reduce your ecological footprint?

Then ask me, I will help you. For free. Or simply visit my website and choose in the menu for Your Footprint.

And if you appreciate my writings and art and want to support me, you can buy me a piece of fruit here: https://ko-fi.com/jacobberghoef, thank you 🍏 !

Read more on Earth Overshoot Day and Planetary Boundaries here.

Anyone who calls for climate action, systems change or degrowth, but does not first stop overconsuming, makes the call sound unbelievable and laughable.