"If You're Not Doing Anything, Why Should We"? Utility Appeals To Eco-Ratepayers One More Offloading Of Responsibility [View all]

It’s not unusual to see individuals championed as heroes of climate action, with their efforts to install rooftop solar and buy electric cars promoted as pivotal in the fight to save the planet. Hero figures can motivate others to follow suit, but a University of Sydney study suggests the way the energy sector shapes this narrative sets individuals up to fail. Assoc Prof Tom van Laer, a co-author of the study, said the “net zero hero” story could be understood as the latest evolution in a long history of industry shifting environmental responsibility on to individuals.

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Van Laer said the “net zero hero” narrative was prevalent in the many public reports, press releases and documents published by energy companies and policymakers. “These include encouraging behaviours like turning off unneeded appliances and upgrading to more efficient ones, framed as crucial personal contributions towards broader emission reduction goals,” he said. “However, such promotions often downplay the sector’s own significant role in reducing emissions.”

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Van Laer said individual climate warriors could be motivational and had helped drive a number of grassroots movements. But when individuals are put on a pedestal in the absence of tangible corporate and government policies to decarbonise, these narratives can breed feelings of helplessness and disengagement rather than empowerment.

The study cited a plastic bag ban in Chile as an example of putting the burden on the consumer without appropriately acknowledging the systemic, market-wide change needed to move the needle on waste. “Consumers don’t fall for that kind of scheme,” Van Laer said. “They’re like, well, you know, if you’re not doing anything, why should we?”

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/19/net-zero-hero-myth-unfairly-shifts-burden-of-solving-climate-crisis-onto-individuals-study-finds