Most of the discussion around Climate Change is about offsetting the inevitable actions of humans.

For every one person not flying, there are perhaps ten who tick a box and pay $2.27 to offset the damage done (yeah, right)

Unless you are self-sufficient and organic and have no cows, all consumption endangers the future of our planet. So the obvious solution is to consume less.

We could start by banning loyalty reward schemes. NO, that would cause riots, I didn’t suggest that!

Governments are paying farmers not to do this or that, like not chopping down trees. Why can’t the same happen for ordinary people? Why can’t I be paid to not buy that handbag or watch from AliExpress?

Everything along that line of thought, I think can be gamed. Pay someone to not buy a handbag incentives them to say they were fully going to buy one.

What does work is lower-consumption alternatives in the market place, subsidised by the state.

That could be via:

A miles tax – products from further away cost more (a logistical and international trade nightmare)

Subsidies – a card that gives you cashback when you buy a lower consumption product – YES!

• 10% cashback for buying wine in Victoria from a certified Victorian supplier
• 20% cashback for anything with at least 50% recycled materials
• 30% cashback on any restaurant meal with one or more serves of veggies
• 30% cashback for the services actively being used on a phone older than 3 years
• 50% cashback on used clothes

This is a great opportunity to launch a minimalist state-owned bank, that primarily offers savings accounts, debit cards and owner-occupied home loans. And that card they all use, is a Green Card. Only people with that card get the cashbacks.

Is this the first ever proposal that combines socialism and green in a shared every-day system?
(I should research it…)

*There is a negative to this idea. No regular government is ever going to promote less consumption. That means lower GDP (the god of economic metrics) and lower tax revenue.

So we need a “Green” party that promotes lower consumption and lower government spending – good luck making that happen.

So maybe the solution is non-government???

Anybody in theory can make this happen, but the cashbacks need a lot of funding.

It can start slowly, and build momentum. Even as small as one restaurant and the backing of a charity or corporation.

BUT WAIT! Governments are often keen on carbon credits, and these can be used here. All we need is to put a price on the things listed above. For example, buying a used pair of jeans is worth $5 versus buying new.