Who is right when it comes to the climate crisis: the corporations or the activists? In the environmental world, dividing opinions takes us further away from the solution.
The trap of prejudice in the environmental world
We all have prejudices. These mental shortcuts help us understand the world, but they also lead us to judge other social groups. In the environmental movement this translates into corporates who distrust activists and activists who consider all corporate action to be greenwashing.
This division deepens polarization and hinders the construction of shared narratives that our planet urgently needs.
Is a real ecological transformation possible?
In my view, building truly ecological societies requires such a profound transformation of our productive and social systems that it is incompatible with a compass oriented solely to economic growth.
To achieve this, we need more than attacks and confrontations. We need love, connection and empathy.
Activism from connection, not confrontation.
Truly transformative figures throughout history achieved change through messages of unity, not hatred. As Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh points out, "Our enemy is not the other. Our enemy is hatred, violence, discrimination and fear."
While anger is understandable in times of climate crisis and inequality, hatred does not build solutions.
Greta Thunberg called for panic in the face of climate emergency, but real lasting change will come from building bridges, not walls.
The transforming power of love
Connecting with those who think differently from love disarms conflict. As a wise friend told me, "When you confront someone from love, they lose power over you."
This does not imply ignoring injustices or being naïve. It is about acting from the awareness that we do not see the world as it is, but as we are.
Conclusion
To be better stewards of climate change and build a truly sustainable world, we need to look at the world with more altruism, love and connection. Transformation will not be possible from judgment, but from the recognition of our shared humanity.
