We tend to focus on tech and innovation when talking about desirable climate solutions. We are drawn to the dazzle of sleek new inventions – AI, EVs, and smart homes. These sustainability innovations appeal to the elite (and aspiring elite). Their marketing campaigns feature attractive people in luxury attire showcasing the glamour of the latest seductive green innovations. But, what’s even more alluring than shiny and new? Tried and tested, dependable, and cost-effective.
Instead of chasing after the latest trendy car, which might be a flash in the pan, we would be better off settling into a routine of walking and clean, electrified public transport. Instead of a fling with the hottest new product on the market, perhaps we would be happier in the long run with a commitment to simple, proven climate solutions. Of which, there are many!
You can see where I’m going with this.
It is a very human impulse to want the most beautiful, most sought-after things. But, this isn’t always the most nourishing option in the long term. Once we’ve bought “the thing” the dopamine rush subsides, we are down some dollars and now have a new item that needs maintenance.
Insulation is hot
Take something like warming our homes, as an example. The UK has the oldest and leakiest housing stock in Europe. Most people have gas boilers to heat their homes in winter, but vast amounts of that heat are escaping through the walls and windows making bills expensive and homes cold and damp. I have recently just purchased one of these leaky homes, so very much speaking from personal experience. In an attempt to keep my home warm and dry during the winter, these are some of the products that I purchased; portable heaters, heated blankets, and dehumidifiers. I sourced the products that had the best “sustainability” ratings I could afford and matched my decor’s aesthetic.
These products helped but products require extracting materials from the earth, production, packaging, distribution, repair, recycling etc. All of these processes mean resources and emissions, and products break and need to be replaced over time.
A much better, long-term solution would be insulation. It prevents heat from moving in or out, making homes cooler in summer and warmer in winter. You don’t see many marketing campaigns creating a stir about the allure of insulation as a climate solution. Although campaigning groups are ramping up their support for it as the European energy crisis rages on. The appeal is that it’s incredibly effective. It cuts down the need for heating or air conditioning which can reduce the home’s emissions. I, like many, plan to invest in insulation eventually but the upfront costs are prohibitive. There just isn’t enough government support currently to prompt uptake en masse.
This is revealing
Capitalism pushes band-aid solutions to problems, instead of tackling the root causes and actually changing the status quo. Solutions in the form of products alleviate the problem for only people that can afford them. They also generate profit for the businesses that supply them. Innovation in the private sector is skewed towards creating more businesses that can generate wealth.
We need to interrogate this mindset and start to think of climate solutions outside the limitations of a Capitalist economy. In our current set-up, investors only provide financial investment support for initiatives when there is a promise of return. The climate crisis calls for a total overhaul of systems, and the ideologies that created those systems. The marketing industry has expertly supplanted consumption as the first port of call, and it will take a concerted effort to rail against this.
Creating a new normal that is both green and just, requires falling in love with the simplicity of living slower lives and buying fewer things.
Sustainability mystique
In addition to pushing governments to tackle systemic emissions, we also have to change public perceptions of so-called “unsexy” solutions like public transport and retrofitting. Innovation within Capitalism is not the truly transformative movement that we need. How cool would it be if marketing companies used their expertise to make draught excluders this year’s must-have winter accessories? Or if influencers promoted “hot girls walk” instead of driving to work.
We don’t need any more trendy zero wasters with perfectly matched everything, we need to romanticise the messy realities of reusing, upcycling or holding onto your banana peel until you can get home and compost it. Show me how to make that life look glamorous and aspirational!
So this is a challenge, to myself and to whoever is reading this to recognise when you’re being seduced by ads for sustainability products or emerging tech. And remember, you already have a perfect *insert product here* at home that has been with you through thick and thin. Take care of your things and stick with them for the long haul.
Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash