The Daily Orange editorial “Personal responsibility can help combat climate change” published on Sept. 24 advocates individual action to address the climate crisis. It suggests students follow simple steps by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deal with the problem: recycling waste, changing light bulbs and driving fuel-efficient cars.

Such suggestions are laudable. Indeed, we practice them ourselves and encourage students to do the same.

But such personal actions alone are grossly insufficient to deal with climate change or reduce its impacts. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40–70 percent by 2050. Achieving this will entail major political and economic changes: rebuilding our energy system, reducing fossil-fuel use through government regulation or a carbon tax and fortifying our cities to endure higher sea levels and stronger storms.

Collective threats require a collective response. Social movements are a way to address such threats. The civil rights and women’s movements of the 1960s brought greater equality for people of color and women. The environmental movement of the 1970s gave politicians the political will to pass groundbreaking legislation that improved the air, water and health for all Americans. And today’s climate movement is a shared call by citizens for action on climate change.

We applaud The Daily Orange for encouraging students to vote. But politicians will only act if its clear there is widespread demand for action to address climate change. That’s why SU students joined 400,000 other Americans flooding the streets of New York City in last Sunday’s People’s Climate March.

To cope with climate change, we need to do more than change what we buy and our personal habits. We need to engage with the political process.

Bob Wilson
Associate Professor
Department of Geography

Sarah Pralle
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science

Published on September 25, 2014 at 12:20 am