Global corporations have perpetrated a grand scam when it comes to the fight against climate change. They have made individuals believe that the world is being destroyed solely as a result of their individual choices as consumers. This scam has a historical precedent. Explaining where this scandal began will make clear how it relates to climate change today.

Most people are familiar with a particular television advert that was shown in the United States in the 1970s, nicknamed the ‘Crying Indian’ advert, whereby a Native American is seeing shedding a tear as drivers throw garbage at his feet from their car windows. The idea behind the advert was that people should not litter. On the surface, it is a positive message that we can readily relate to, especially in the age of clean-ups. Digging a little deeper, one finds much reason for cynicism.

The ad campaign in question was run by the non-profit organisation Keep America Beautiful, which was set up by a consortium of American businesses. Unfortunately, the motivations behind this organisation were less than altruistic. These businesses simply did not want to be responsible for the waste they were generating. Their response to public and political pressure to deal with their trash was to push that responsibility onto the consumer.

Companies did not want to be responsible for the fate and disposal of all the single-use plastics and other items they were producing. In other words, it would have cost these businesses a lot of money to design sustainable products and ensure that there is waste reduction. To save themselves money, these businesses made consumers feel that all trash is their responsibility.

The real criminals are the companies chopping down the Amazon

Recycling sounds wonderful – and was promoted by these businesses. However, there is a much deeper problem at work here. Plastics, for example, are continuously being produced. Therefore, the total amount of plastic in circulation on the planet keeps increasing. Recycling does not take these plastics or this waste out of circulation. It is also generally more expensive for plastic to be recycled than for new plastic to be made, and therefore there are market problems with recycling in any case.

The real solution to waste is to reduce the amount of single-use plastic produced in the first place, and to increase efficiency. Companies should carry more responsibility for the waste they produce.

Now, this old strategy of pushing responsibility onto consu­mers has extended to climate change. Companies and corporations spend a lot of money lobbying to make you believe that your consumption habits are the only way to address climate change. They want you to eat less meat, to drive less often and to buy more sustainably labelled pro­ducts.

While these strategies are crucial in the fight against climate change, the real culprits behind climate change are the 100 or so global corporations that exploit weak regulations to exploit the natural environment to maximise profits.

The real criminals are the companies chopping down the Amazon and bribing politicians to weaken environmental protection laws. We desperately need politicians who will defend us against these criminal conglomerates and international business cartels who are des­troying the planet. They lobby against sustainable solutions for the global economy and actively prevent innovation and renewable energy.

Our enemies are the oil companies and the business leaders who resist change, simply be­cause they do not want to take responsibility or carry any of the costs needed to save the planet.

That is why it is our duty as citizens to convince our politicians to enforce and produce the best environmental legislation both on a national level and on an international level.

The European Union especially carries an enormous res­ponsibility. It has recently sign­ed a trade deal with many Latin American countries, in­cluding Brazil, on the condition that they meet their Paris Climate Accord targets. Yet at the same time, the rate of deforestation in the Amazon is increasing.

Why are we allowing for there to be a market for goods produced at the expense of the planet? As Maltese citizens, we must petition our MEPs and MPs alike to take bold steps to prevent Armageddon. The well-being of our children depends on it.

Timothy Alden is deputy leader of the Democratic Party and a member of Extinction Rebellion Malta.