The Human Factor | Do “Small Gestures” Really Matter?

Recycling, composting, taking public transport… The “small actions” made individually for the planet may seem insignificant compared to the pollution generated by industries. But how much weight do they have in the balance of the ecological transition?

“I recycle, I reuse, I compost, I don’t waste food… But I really feel insignificant compared to industry, to money, which dominates everything. Even pollution,” confides Stéphanie Bélanger.

We receive messages like this every time we publish an article in the “Human Factor” section.

In recent years, there has been an increase in symptoms of “climate discouragement” among the Quebec population. According to the Climate Action Barometer, in 2023, 68% of Quebecers reported feeling helpless with regard to the climate crisis, while this proportion was 62% in 2021.

And for good reason: “75 to 80% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the province are beyond the direct control of individuals,” calculates Simon Langlois-Bertrand, researcher at the Trottier Energy Institute of Polytechnique Montréal.

“It can definitely be discouraging, especially when you don’t really see any change in the short term. You might even end up asking yourself: what’s the point of making so much effort?” he adds.

So, should we throw in the towel?

The response of the three experts interviewed by The Press is unanimous: no. But perhaps efforts should be concentrated where it really “counts,” they say.

The “big” gestures to prioritize

The individual actions that carry the most weight are generally those linked to “major life choices,” explains Valériane Champagne St-Arnaud, professor of environmental communication and social marketing at Université Laval.

Having or not having a car, choosing the size and location of your accommodation, going further or further away on holiday, opting for a less meat-based diet…

“These choices, which correspond to our ‘lifestyle’, are the ones most likely to determine the extent of our climate footprint. We should prioritize them, before ‘small gestures’,” she believes.

For Simon Langlois-Bertrand, the most profitable choices are those relating to transportation and heating, because these are the ones that will have the greatest impact in the medium term on Quebec society as a whole.

Favoring public transport, walking or cycling, for example, opting for an electric vehicle or even doing without a second car, “this shows a desire for change to decision-makers, and it encourages them to take measures,” explains Simon Langlois-Bertrand, of the Trottier Energy Institute.

As for heating, “changing your natural gas furnace to electric heating will have a big impact,” the researcher emphasizes. “And better insulating your home or turning down the heating can significantly reduce your electricity consumption, so it reduces the need to expand the electricity network.”

Taking action through “small gestures”

But beyond these big choices in our lifestyles, what do we think of the “small gestures” of everyday life — sorting our waste, bringing our reusable bag to the grocery store, etc.?

These gestures, however small, are not insignificant, because they add up to others, maintains Valériane Champagne St-Arnaud. They also have the advantage of getting out of “climate discouragement”, because “the most powerful engine to inspire hope is action”, she explains.

In addition, “small gestures” are important because they are very concrete. “Humans learn through experience, not through theory,” emphasizes Colleen Thorpe, Executive Director of Équiterre. “We learn by riding a bike, by gardening… It’s an essential component of the journey in the ecological transition.”

Amplifying “small gestures”

Individual actions also have a broader impact on society and send a message to governments.

For Colleen Thorpe, if we want to take more action for the climate on an individual scale, it is not necessarily a question of counting the GHG emissions linked to each of our daily actions, but rather of amplifying the small (and large) gestures that we make through discussions with those around us, involvement in local communities or even voting.

“That’s how you create a training movement,” she explains.

Of course, it is not just up to individuals to change their habits, experts insist. Governments and industries must also do their part.

“But passing the buck [des responsabilités] is a sterile game in front of a planet that is burning. All the good decisions in favor of the climate add up, whether they come from a citizen, a mayor, a business leader or a consumer,” believes Valériane Champagne St-Arnaud. “And the more these ecological gestures are made visible, the more they shape positive social norms: acting for the environment is perceived as the “right” choice to adopt in society,” she adds.

An opinion shared by Colleen Thorpe. “Through ‘small gestures’, we show our ability to adapt, to persevere. These gestures also mean having the courage to say that there will be change. In the absence of seeing great progress in the short term, this allows us to cultivate our resilience, to show that we can evolve,” she concludes.

The number of the week

600,000

The City of Montreal announced in a press release that it would grant nearly $600,000 to non-profit organizations and schools that have proposed various projects aimed at accelerating the ecological transition.

Teaching young people to ride a bike, creating urban or educational gardens, setting up awareness workshops or promoting unsold goods to reduce food waste: many initiatives will thus be financed by the City.

This is the second call for projects from the Financial Contributions Program for the Ecological Transition 2024 (PCFTE).

Green light

The “Super All Naked” model

Ravioli, almonds, smoked salmon, mozzarella… At the “Super Tout Nu”, the products are presented in glass jars, which line up by the hundreds on the shelves. And for each jar returned, customers receive 10 cents.

Located in Toulouse, in the south of France, the “Super Tout Nu” takes its name from the simplest device in which food is stored. Its goal is to “democratize zero waste consumption,” explains its co-founder, Salomé Géraud.

Since January 2022, plastic packaging has been banned in France for fruits and vegetables — an initiative that could extend to the European Union by 2030.

Source: Agence France-Presse

He said

First Nations are uniquely positioned to find solutions to climate challenges. They have deep cultural and spiritual connections to the land, waters and ice, and the living beings that inhabit them. They have a long history of living in, adapting to and managing their environments.

Steven Guilbeault, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on the occasion of the release of the sixth annual report of the First Nations–Canada Joint Committee on Climate Action, for the Prime Minister and the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations