Shifting responsibility to consumers minimises the role of energy industry and policymakers, University of Sydney research suggests
Electricity generation is responsible for close to half of Australia’s emissions, based on 2021 International Energy Agency estimates, with transport and industry also major emitters.
In the context of the energy market, Van Laer said, storytelling should emphasise the role of companies and governments alongside individuals.
“At the moment, it’s not presented that way,” he said.
“It’s like ‘you, consumer, you can do this on your own and then we [companies] will fall in line.”
If the regulators are made up of selfish individuals who are captured by industry (lobbyists, campaign contributions, etc) then what? Please don’t say elect new officials, unless you have a solution to misinformation and the massive financing necessary to get elected.
It seems we’re stuck and we’re all just waiting for the selfish person to do the right thing. What if the selfish person is us? Perhaps the best way to navigate an unjust system is to participate as little as possible. And with that extra time we can organize and apply political pressure.