Snow of tomorrow | Climate protector or environmental destroyer

Yes, I know about man-made climate change. And yes, it is causing sea levels to rise, extreme events such as flooding are increasing and becoming more severe. There will be worldwide famines and the glaciers in the Alps will disappear within the next few decades.

Although I am aware of all the consequences of climate change, as a skier I often find it difficult to admit them to myself. I'm afraid to realise that I and my passion for skiing are not only victims of these developments, but also triggers. Because yes, I ski and I do it very often. And yes, I use problematic infrastructure, such as cars or lifts, and I also behave in a climate-damaging way by wearing expensive outdoor clothing and skiing on skis produced abroad. So I ask myself: is my fear justified? Am I part of the problem? And how can I, the skier, expect other people to lead a climate-friendly lifestyle or speak ill of climate-damaging behaviour?

All these questions lead back to the dilemma in which I find myself. This dilemma is known in English as "the hypocrisy trap". This refers to the fact that we humans assume that we can only address certain problems if we ourselves are infallible. As a person who skis, I should rather pay attention to my own behaviour or even stop skiing altogether in order to contribute to climate protection before I demand a climate-friendly turnaround from others or politicians. The German proverb "take a good look at yourself" also goes in this direction. But where does this seemingly indisputable truism come from? It is worth taking a look at the social conditions in which we live.

As has hopefully become clear in the first part of the text, the logic of neoliberalised capitalism creates individual blame. Instead of allowing us to look at the actual causes, individual blaming obscures them. They cannot be a main part of the solution because they neglect structural and causal explanations. The motto should be: "We can do something, but don't make anything personal!". Ultimately, collective change is needed. In the course of this, individual behaviour can also be steered and promoted through political will.

In their function and task, politicians have a significant responsibility to protect people's lives and maintain quality of life.

I am a skier and therefore part of a community that has an interest in climate-friendly decisions due to our shared hobby and should therefore remind politicians of their responsibilities. As political decision-makers are dependent on majorities, it is important to create these social majorities. Education plays an important role here: climate education prevents us from falling into the trap of individualisation described above. It strengthens knowledge about the origins of climate change and the collective awareness of ways to prevent it, which ultimately results in political majorities.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Protect Our Winters Austria organise workshops, carry out educational work and thereby increase public interest in topics relating to climate change. In this way, they help to generate social majorities that have a political impact and do not fizzle out into individualised behaviour patterns. As a skier who cares about climate protection, I therefore consider it very sensible to get involved in such an NGO. Rather than an expression of double standards, this commitment is a sensible investment in sustainable and structural change.

If the general public gains an understanding of the causes of man-made climate change through education, this can lead to concrete political demands that are supported by the general public. Concrete examples of the interaction between social and political responsibility show that systemic change is needed to change individual behaviour, not the other way around. NGOs make an important contribution here. For example, many people would cycle if cities were designed for this. Far fewer people would fly if trains were cheaper and better equipped. Many people would use more renewable energy if it cost the same as fossil fuels, which are only kept artificially cheap by government subsidies.

If, as a skier, I contribute to such or similar political developments through my involvement with NGOs such as Protect Our Winters Austria and in the ski community, then I am utilising my environment and the resources available to me. Even if this does not reduce my "ecological footprint", it does increase my "ecological handprint". I am helping to ensure that something actually changes, instead of just doing without my individual behaviour patterns and ultimately achieving little.