What if the biggest lie we’ve been sold about climate change is that it’s all our fault?
We’re constantly told that if every individual made better choices — turned off the lights more often, went vegan, biked instead of drove — the planet would somehow heal itself. And while personal responsibility has its place, that narrative is a carefully crafted illusion. It’s a deflection, pushed by the very industries most responsible for the climate crisis.
It’s no coincidence. These so-called “awareness” campaigns, often backed by fossil fuel companies and major polluters, are designed to shift focus away from the systemic roots of the problem and place it squarely on individual guilt. It’s easier, after all, to make citizens feel responsible than to confront the hard truth: nearly two-thirds of global carbon emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels — primarily for energy production and transportation.
Let’s be clear: individual action is not meaningless. But it’s not the centerpiece of the solution, either. The real change we need lies in policy, regulation, and large-scale reform. That means implementing carbon pricing, incentivizing renewable energy, and dismantling the infrastructure that continues to reward pollution.
This is especially true for nations like here in the Philippines, where the impacts of climate change are deeply felt but where economic challenges make sweeping transitions even harder. We can’t ignore the livelihoods tied to carbon-intensive industries. Climate solutions here must be rooted in justice — progress that uplifts rather than displaces, that secures both survival and dignity.
I’m not calling for sacrifice without support. I’m calling for a recalibration — of how we think, how we talk, and how we act. We need to reach those who still see climate as a distant concern: the policymakers, the executives, the older workers whose voices still shape our systems. Their priorities must evolve. And that starts with conversation, pressure, and the refusal to normalize inaction.
I’ll admit: I haven’t always been the loudest voice in this space. But I’m learning, and I’m realizing how necessary it is to speak — even when it’s uncomfortable. Because real change doesn’t happen when we carry guilt. It happens when we carry courage.
So the next time someone tries to tell you that you’re not eco-conscious enough — that the world is suffering because you ate meat or forgot a tote bag — remember who truly holds the power. The climate crisis was not caused by your habits. It was caused by a system that profits from pollution and convinces you that fixing it is solely your burden.
It’s time we stop absorbing blame and start demanding better — from those who built the crisis, and from those who have the tools to end it.
