Good denier says it’s possible to explore oil and save the Earth

But just as pernicious for the future of humanity as the root denialist is the light denialist. It’s that fragrant, clean and well-dressed person who says he believes in climate change and, from time to time, hugs a tree, but considers that there is still time to avoid a catastrophe without changing the economy. He says, with a tremendous straight face, that we need to explore new oil deposits to bring food to the poorest – who, of course, never see the color of the royalties.

And, unfortunately, there are people who believe in this cascade.

Ultimately, one denier eats with his hands and the other uses a fork and knife, but their behavior leads to the same rock bottom.

The impacts of this are already all around us. Devastating droughts in the Amazon, uncontrollable forest fires in California, lethal floods in Rio Grande do Sul and Spain, day turning to night because of ash from burning crops in São Paulo, and heat waves everywhere are not warnings of the distant future , but the reality of the present.

And, as Oxfam pointed out, despite the richest 1% being responsible for two-thirds of carbon emissions, it is the poorest who are already burning — figuratively and literally. While elites accumulate profits in sectors that accelerate the climate crisis, vulnerable communities lose their homes, lands, ways of life and, often, their lives.

And there is no point in transferring responsibility to just individual actions. The necessary structural changes require more than metal straws and reusable bags, they demand shame on the face and courage to challenge the interests of a privileged minority.