IDK About AG13

IDK.

These are three of the most powerful letters in the Western alphabet, IMO. WBU? DYA? OK, TMI, I’ll stop now. But SRSLY, the words those letters signify have a power that is often under-appreciated, or even confused with powerlessness.



I Don’t Know.



Most of the time, if we are honest with ourselves, whether you’re a marine biologist or you’ve maybe just got the gist of it, we don’t know what is going on or why or what we’re talking about. I have been, more often than I would care to admit, that person who nods along sagely in a conversation about the complexities of geo-political global situations, and chimes in at a rhythm that feels to me to be asserting a confidence I don’t actually possess with phrases such as “Yes, I was saying that just the other day” or “The thing about wetlands is that they’re just too wet these days”.



I should know more than most - I’ve been involved with Extinction Rebellion over the past few years, have worked at a variety of organisations with a sustainable focus over the past 5 years, have been vegan for 4+ years, and live in Bristol, one of the greenest cities in the UK, where we have just increased our share of new Green Party councillors at local elections. I shop at the many zero-waste stores we have here in Bristol, I avoid plastic as if it was a clingy ex-partner, and buy locally-produced and organic produce wherever I can.



But even with all of the above, swapping out carbon-based energy to run almost exclusively on environmentally-friendly smugness as I have done, I still when faced with the question of “What is this all achieving, is it helping to save the planet?”, the only answer I can honestly give is, “I don’t know”.

And I don’t write that in an attempt to dissuade anyone who is trying to become more green and considered in their daily lives. Climate change is simply an incredibly complex issue, with conflicting ideas, theories and recommended practises. You then throw capitalism into the mix, with corporate greenwashing in pursuit of a quick buck, and the complexity hots up even further.
See ‘Seaspiracy’ on Netflix for one of many illustrations of this green-faced duplicity.

But to try to make changes on an individual basis, however small, for the protection of humanity and the planet it relies upon, all are welcome and to be strongly encouraged.

From my experience of the past 5 years or so, I can recommend a selection, if you yourself are rooting through your habits, as if through your recycling, compartmentalising the different practises and routines to assess whether they’re in the best place.

(By the way, AG13 stands for ‘Ad hoc Group on Article 13’, and is a subsidiary body/committee setup to explore how to help governments overcome any difficulties experienced in meeting their commitments as outlined in the Climate Change Convention of 95-98. Even governments need help doing the right thing!)

1. Avoid plastic wherever you can. Regard it as a new Covid variant that has infected the ecosystem (and it is sadly in everything and everywhere). Buy a reusable water bottle, a bamboo toothbrush, shop at your local grocery store if they still weigh and sell items in paper bags, search online to see whether your favourite beauty product comes in a non-plasticised form. This part of the market is still seen as ‘trendy’, bougie and elitist, even though many of the items will be cheaper to produce than their uniform alternative, so you may want to start with small, simple replacements, rather than feeling you have to clear out your house and turn it into a Instagram Influencer pad.

2. Buy second-hand. A well-loved book may not look as nice on your nightstand, but it may feel a little lighter in your hands knowing its use does not end. And second-hand clothes can offer both a unique look and a bargain that the fast-fashion retailers can’t compete with.



3. Travel by bus or train if the journey permits. It’ll likely take longer than any other alternative, and you may end up sat next to a 5 year-old who likes to play ‘Stick the Piece of Chewing Gum on the Stranger’, but a trip as part of a larger group is always going to be more eco-friendly. And the more who make this switch for the greater number of their trips, the larger the demand there will be for public transport as an essential commodity.



4. Join a group or community focused on the environment and green issues. It could be a group local to you, or one based online. Making changes to your lifestyle in the service of the environment can feel like a lonely choice, especially if your family or social circle aren’t on-board to begin with, and having others to turn to for ideas, support or a shared purge of frustration about “Why do superstores put two leeks together in a plastic wrapper, are they lonely?” can really help keep you positive and motivated.

And with the last tip, you will likely find yourself on a regular basis at the conversational crossroads, saying to yourself: “Do I nod and try and riff on my needle-thin knowledge of the avocado trade, or do I speak truthfully and say I don’t know?”



And that brings me to my final tip, tip #5, the one you’ve seen coming a mile off like an impending ecological disaster, that’s right...



5. Say “I don’t know” more. Be willing to be vulnerable, to be a KID again, to offer others a teachable moment. Climate change and environmental issues as a whole are regarded as so vital a social matter at the moment, that you can feel pressured to know more than you would care to admit, that it would be embarrassing not to be something of an amateur expert. But a world full of more people willing to admit their ignorance is infinitely better than a world full of people who learn little more than they already know because they prefer fitting in to humility. Ironically, a world full of people who claim they know enough about climate change will have no idea how to actually solve the issues.



So make waves with your surrender to ignorance, be proud of how little you know, and allow the wave of willing teachers, articles, documentaries and movements to carry you along with them!



IDK doesn’t just stand for I don’t know, you know. It also stands for...



I Dare to Know.