Climate Action Isn’t Just for the 1% — It’s for the 100%. It’s for Everyone. And Here’s Why That Matters Now More Than Ever
If you think climate change doesn’t affect you — think again. This isn’t a niche fight. It’s your future.
For too long, caring for the planet has been boxed into a corner — portrayed as a passion project for environmentalists, scientists, or wealthy philanthropists. The popular imagination often frames climate action as something distant or niche — reserved for tech billionaires funding tree-planting drones, Gen Z influencers posting zero-waste swaps, or activists chaining themselves to oil tankers. But the truth is far more grounded and far more urgent. This isn’t about a battle. It’s about rekindling our connection with the Earth, and protecting the people and places we love.
Climate change isn’t a faraway issue. It’s a daily force shaping the world you live in: your food, your home, your job, your health, and your safety.
This is not a movement for 1%. This is a movement for 100%. And if you're not yet part of it, you're not only standing by — you may be standing in the way of your own wellbeing.
The Universal Impact: Climate Change Is Already Affecting You
Whether or not you believe in climate change, it believes in you.
You don’t have to be an environmentalist to care about heatwaves killing vulnerable populations, or floods destroying livelihoods, or rising food prices from failing crops.
You just have to be human.
Climate Change Is Here — And So Are the Facts:
The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat. It’s happening now, and the data is indisputable. Here are some of the most critical, science-backed realities:
2023 was the hottest year ever recorded. According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and NASA, every month from June to December broke global heat records.
In 2022, one-third of Pakistan was submerged by catastrophic floods, displacing 33 million people — more than the population of Australia.
Canada experienced its most intense wildfire season on record in 2023, with over 18 million hectares burned — an area larger than England and Ireland combined.
Marine heatwaves are intensifying, driving ocean temperatures to unprecedented levels and devastating coral reefs and fish stocks critical to global food security.
The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the global average, accelerating ice melt and contributing to rising sea levels that threaten low-lying coastal nations and cities worldwide.
And the outlook is clear: these impacts are not speculative. They are grounded in decades of peer-reviewed scientific research, and they are accelerating.
The Most Recent Climate Data (2024–2025)
The past two years have confirmed the alarming pace of planetary disruption, with new records and extremes reinforcing the urgency of climate action:
2024 became the hottest year ever recorded, with the global average temperature rising to approximately 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. Copernicus measurements indicated a warming of around 1.6°C, confirming that the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C threshold has now been breached.
January 2025 set a new monthly global temperature record of 13.23°C, which is 1.75°C above pre-industrial averages. Eighteen of the past nineteen months have exceeded the 1.5°C threshold.
Ocean heat content continues to rise sharply. In 2024, the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean absorbed the energy equivalent of 16 zettajoules — around 140 times the world’s total annual electricity use.
Antarctic sea ice reached record lows, while glaciers continued to retreat at an alarming pace. Current sea-level rise is averaging 4.7 millimetres per year, more than double the rate in the 1990s.
Extreme weather events escalated in 2024, with 151 major disasters recorded globally. These events displaced over 824,500 people, the highest number since 2008, and caused approximately 3,700 deaths.
South America experienced unprecedented wildfires in 2024, with 85.9 million hectares burned across seven countries, resulting in 148 confirmed fatalities and widespread ecosystem damage.
The 2023–2025 global coral bleaching event is now the worst on record, affecting an estimated 84% of the world’s coral reefs, many of which are critical to marine biodiversity and coastal livelihoods.
What the Future Holds: The Predictions You Can’t Ignore
Here’s what we’re heading toward if business-as-usual continues, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO):
Global average temperatures are on track to rise between 2.5°C and 4.4°C by 2100 unless we dramatically reduce emissions.
Sea levels could rise by over 1 meter by the end of the century, putting hundreds of millions of people at risk, especially in coastal cities like New York, Lagos, Mumbai, and Jakarta.
Extreme heat events that were once rare will become annual occurrences, leading to water shortages, energy grid failures, and major agricultural losses.
Climate-driven displacement could force over 200 million people to migrate by 2050, creating political instability and humanitarian crises.
Global food production could drop by up to 30% in some regions, while demand continues to rise — especially in the Global South.
These are not alarmist predictions. They’re red-alert warnings from the world’s top scientists.
The Pushback: Climate Workers vs. The Old Systems of Greed
Despite overwhelming evidence and growing public support, climate action faces relentless resistance from entrenched systems of power and profit. From fossil fuel empires to political denialism, climate workers are often up against a multi-headed hydra.
The Main Forces Resisting Change:
Fossil Fuel Corporations
In 2022 alone, the global oil and gas industry earned an estimated $4 trillion in net income — more than double its average in previous years.
In 2024, the five major publicly listed oil companies — ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, TotalEnergies, and BP — earned a combined $102 billion in net profits.
The bottom line is that oil and gas companies continue to generate staggering profits year on year — well over $100 billion annually — even as their operations drive historic climate breakdown.
Many continue to lobby against climate regulation while publicly claiming to support net-zero goals.
ExxonMobil and other majors have been exposed for misleading the public for decades about the dangers of fossil fuels.
Political Lobbying & Greenwashing
Corporations and industry lobbyists spend billions to influence legislation that weakens environmental protection.
Many companies promote misleading “green” campaigns while continuing polluting practices. This is greenwashing in action.
Media Misinformation and Climate Denial
Some news outlets continue to platform climate skepticism, despite scientific consensus.
Powerful political figures have historically downplayed or outright denied climate science, delaying action for decades.
Financial Institutions Still Backing Destruction
Banks and investors still pour hundreds of billions into coal, oil, and gas projects annually despite pledges for “sustainable finance”.
The top 60 banks financed fossil fuels to the tune of $5.5 trillion between 2016 and 2023.
Overconsumption and Corporate Growth at All Costs
Our global economy is built on a take-make-waste model that assumes infinite growth on a finite planet.
Unsustainable supply chains, fast fashion, and tech waste accelerate resource depletion and emissions.
Despite all this, millions of people are pushing back — from Indigenous water protectors defending land rights to youth-led legal action against governments for climate inaction.
Climate Denial Is Self-Harm — And No One Is Immune
When climate work is brushed off as “woke”, “radical”, or irrelevant, we all lose. Because it isn’t about politics. It’s about survival — and justice.
Climate injustice is social injustice. The people who contribute least to the crisis are the ones suffering most from its effects: smallholder farmers, children, Indigenous communities, and low-income families across the globe.
But no one escapes this. Climate breakdown doesn’t check your passport or your paycheck. From Wall Street to the Sahel, we’re all part of the same ecological system and we all rely on its stability to thrive.
Supporting Climate Work Is Supporting Yourself
The climate movement isn’t just about polar bears and melting ice. It’s about healthcare, jobs, energy, food, water, equity, and the future of civilization.
You don’t need to quit your job or live off-grid to make a difference. But you do need to understand this: denying climate reality, or mocking those who are trying to fix it, works against your own long-term interests.
Here's what you can do:
Speak up. Demand better from your leaders, your workplace, and your community.
Support systemic solutions, not just personal change. Policy and industry reform matter most.
Value the people doing the work — scientists, activists, farmers, educators, policymakers — who are building a liveable future for all of us.
Climate Action Belongs to Everyone
The climate movement isn’t a niche club. It’s not a fad. It’s not a partisan issue. It’s not just for the “woke”, or the rich, or the left, or the young.
This isn’t a crusade for the few. It’s a lifeboat for the entire planet. Whether you're deeply involved in the climate space or still figuring out your role, you’re already part of this story simply by being alive.
It’s for everyone who eats food, drinks water, breathes air, has a job, loves someone, or wants to live in peace.
Support climate work, not out of guilt or politics, but because you deserve a future too.
And while we deeply respect the work and ambition behind the “1% for the Planet” movement — encouraging businesses to give 1% of revenue to environmental causes — the message today might need a bold reframe. Because the stakes are far too high for climate action to be positioned as a voluntary side donation or a niche contribution.
We don’t need 1% of people, or 1% of businesses, or 1% of funds leading the charge.
We need 100% of our systems, policies, energy, creativity, and willpower directed toward solutions.
Climate work can no longer be seen as a charitable cause for a select few.
It is survival work. It is societal work. It is future‑building work — for all of us, by all of us.
So whatever role you play in the world, play it like the planet depends on it.
Because it does.
And the next time you see someone campaigning for climate justice, don’t look away. Don’t roll your eyes. Don’t ridicule the movement.
Support it like your life depends on it. Because it does. 100%