Most of us are guilty of ‘wealth activism’, or a peacock-like display of our consumption habits, according to climate advocate Natalie Kyriacou.
“The flaunting of wealth and consumerism is so pervasive that it barely registers for many of us. And to be quite honest, it is very very difficult not to participate in this culture,” she says, noting that the behaviour “has catastrophic implications for the environment and millions of people around the world”. “
An environmentalist, presenter, board member, director at a climate and nature firm, and founder and chair of My Green World, Kyriacou has more than a few examples of how conspicuous consumption shows up in today’s society as well as how to combat it.
Just 1 per cent of the world’s population causes half of all aviation’s carbon emissions, she says. And more than one third of all the food produced in the world gets wasted– a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
“Fashion is another prominent example of conspicuous consumption”, says Kyriacou. “A typical influencer at Coachella, with their many wardrobe changes and transport methods, emitted over 3.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.”
“In just four days, one person had the same environmental impact as what two people should have over an entire year,” she says, citing data from Camille Goldstone Henry, CEO of Xylo Systems.
Kyriacou’s hope is that in 10 years time, conspicuous consumption will become a thing of the past.
It’s a critical goal considering that “if everyone on the planet lived and consumed like Australians do, we would need 4.5 Planet Earths to sustain us,” she says.
While psychologists have sought to explain this consumption behaviour as a way for humans to express their identity and self-worth, Kyriacou wonders if we can instead, express ourselves through the protection of climate and people.
“Imagine if we donated to charity with the same ease that many of us with privilege, purchase groceries,” she says.
“Charities and impact organisations are the lifeblood of our society.”
“How can we possibly solve major global problems and have huge breakthroughs without greater support for nonprofits and social impact work?”
The greatest challenge of human history is the destruction of the natural world, and Kyriacou says there are a few individual actions that we can take to “perform our moral duty” against the threat of climate change.
The first is understanding how rich you are, and how much of your income you could be donating to make a difference. Kyriacou recommends using a wealth calculator to measure this, noting that if you make $80k per year and donate just 10 per cent of this income, you’d be saving approximately 1.8 lives.
It’s also important to consider who we choose to elevate in our society, she says, considering that “the people and causes we elevate reflect the things we care most about”.
“And lastly, update your tinder profile pictures,” she says, regarding the imagery we curate to show our best selves to the world.
“Travelling first class wearing a Rolex shouldn’t be sexy. What should be sexy is showing our connection to community, causes, nature, learning, acts of kindness, acts of service, innovation to solve world problems, and wearing the same outfit more than once.”
Kyriacou shared this advice during her keynote session for Women’s Agenda’s new video app series, The Keynotes.
The Keynotes app shares “Mini Keynote” sessions and insights on leadership, equity, current affairs, climate and so much more. To watch Natalie Kyriacou’s keynote as well as other sessions, sign up to the app here.