Private jets, yacht parties, fancy receptions, and award ceremonies — I’m sure you can conjure up an image of what this lifestyle may look like and who lives it. While you may have envisioned Hollywood actors, pop stars, or Silicon Valley tech giants, I’m actually describing another demographic: climate elites.
At first glance, the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and climate czar John Kerry may seem to have little overlap, but there is more they share than a desire for climate action, and that is hypocrisy.
Kerry, for instance, is a man who has built his career speaking to the dangers of a changing climate and persuading others to make substantial, disruptive changes. With this in mind, it should come as a surprise that the former secretary of state has recently come under fire for using a private plane to accept an award related to his climate leadership. While the incident occurred in 2019, Kerry recently responded to the controversy, saying that it was “the only choice for someone like me.”
This statement alone can sound out of touch, and even more so given his current rhetoric around the future for traditional energy workers, essentially telling them just to find other jobs. Of course, it is easy to sacrifice the livelihood of another while sitting in the comfort of an ivory tower. The double standard here, of course, is that we often see celebrities or wealthy individuals lecturing the public about climate change and environmental challenges while failing to make their own sacrifices.
The private jet trope is overused, but it’s true that Americans don’t appreciate being told how to live by those obviously out of touch with their lifestyles. Climate elitism, similar to the decried coastal elitism, is rampant. And so it’s time the climate movement has a conversation it has long avoided: climate activism is a privilege.
Kerry’s statement serves to underscore the unspoken privilege associated not only with those in positions of influence but also that of the environmental movement at large. While private jets may be the norm for someone like Kerry, and fair trade, organic goods may be the norm for an ardent environmentalist, these are items not readily available to the average American.
While the environmental movement’s rhetoric is heavy on inclusive terms and buzzwords, the movement simultaneously has a habit of imposing purity tests, and the standard for these tests can be quite steep. While we can appreciate those who throw their capital and power behind taking action and making sustainable changes in their lives, it’s disingenuous to expect everyday Americans to be automatically capable of doing the same. These difficult-to-reach standards are discouraging for many and serve to further divide the elites who lecture others about living sustainably, people who actually do live sustainably, and people who would like to be given the option but don’t have the economic mobility.
This challenge extends beyond our own borders. Countries around the world are experiencing different levels of economic development and prosperity. For developing nations, environmental protection is secondary to providing energy to citizens and improving their quality of life. We cannot stand in the way of other nations’ development by imposing arduous environmental standards that will ultimately hurt the citizens, especially when we have already undertaken our own industrial revolution. Ignoring the limitations of others exhibits just how out of touch the environmental movement can be, even with the very best of intentions.
That’s why promoting innovation and harnessing market forces is so important to reduce costs of eco-friendly technology and increase the affordability of being sustainable. We shouldn’t underestimate the consumer’s ability to effect change, but well-off consumers alone cannot successfully fight climate change. We need everyone on board.
Environmental activists need a new sense of awareness and perspective. We will not make inroads with rural or impoverished communities by talking down to them or focusing on challenges that are intangible to them. Part of effective environmentalism is building even unlikely coalitions with all stakeholders. This includes those who are generally left out of climate discussions, such as farmers and ranchers, foresters, or traditional energy workers.
Those of us who are privileged enough to prioritize environmental issues must do so by framing challenges so that they are visible in Americans’ backyards. Our natural environment is too valuable to employ tactics that alienate groups of people or delay action in favor of a silver bullet solution. If environmentalism is a privilege, we must use it wisely.
Danielle Butcher is the executive vice president at the American Conservation Coalition.
