I’m a climate activist. I also just bought a truck

Published July 3, 2026 6:00am ET



You read the headline correctly. To some people, those two facts seem contradictory. But I think they point toward a better path forward.

For decades, climate advocacy has focused heavily on individual behavior: what we drive, what we eat, how often we fly. Personal responsibility matters. It shapes how we vote, how we engage in our communities, and how we live our values. But somewhere along the way, we lost sight of a larger reality: Climate change is driven primarily by systems, institutions, and public policy.

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