Lifestyle change vs System change

A lot of the environmental movement, especially at the shallow end, is preoccupied with lifestyle changes. You know the kind of thing I mean – the top tips for reducing your plastic use or shrinking your carbon footprint. Go vegan. Get a bike. They’re often framed as sacrifices, things we have to ‘give up’ for the sake of the environment, though that’s often in the media reporting of environmentalism than the green movement itself.

These personal actions are all well and good, but there’s a...