Why Climate Action Feels Slow (and Why You Can Still Make a Difference)
- Rachel Bailleau
- Oct 2, 2025
- 5 min read
It can be infuriating to think about the climate crisis. Everywhere we turn, headlines shout about rising temperatures, wildfires, floods, and species loss. We know we should be moving as fast as humanly possible to address these challenges, yet governments and companies often seem stuck, moving too slowly while the planet warms. It can leave us asking: what can we actually do to make a difference, even when the systems around us lag behind?
The Surprising Speed of Climate Action
Let's start with some good news. After doomscrolling on social media and reading too many headlines, we need a bit of positive news!
The truth about climate progress is more nuanced than we often think. While some forces are undeniably slowing progress, incredible changes in climate action are already underway.
Consider this. Electric vehicles have gone from niche curiosities to mainstream options in just a few years. Green energy is being rolled out at an unprecedented pace worldwide. Even nature is seeing wins: rewilding projects in Europe are bringing back bison, beavers, and wildflowers to landscapes that had lost them, and urban areas are creating pollinator corridors where bees and butterflies thrive. Public awareness has also shifted dramatically. Not long ago, climate change was a fringe concern. Today, most people understand its urgency and want action.
We've got so much more to do, of course. But when it feels like nothing is getting better, it's important to take a reality check and remember that we are on the right path; we just need to move faster.
What Is Slowing Down Climate Action
Still, there are real obstacles to climate progress. Some are structural and historical. Fossil fuel industries not only delayed climate action by burying research but also continue to influence politics and media narratives. Others are practical. In many countries, basic needs like healthcare, reliable electricity, and education remain priorities. For those communities, climate solutions must come in a way that is fair and realistic.
Political cycles can make climate action feel frustratingly slow. Governments often work in four- or five-year terms while the climate crisis operates on decades. That is why it is essential to frame climate solutions beyond politics. Climate action is not inherently left or right. It benefits health, creates jobs, protects wildlife, and strengthens communities. By focusing on these positive outcomes, we can appeal to a broad spectrum of people and build momentum that transcends party lines.
Economic and technological factors also matter. New innovations like solar panels or electric vehicles often carry a high price tag at first, so not everyone can afford to invest in the greener option. History shows that as more people buy them, prices drop, and access widens.
How Individuals Can Accelerate Climate Action
It is easy to feel powerless as an individual, but your choices matter more than you might think. Voting with your wallet by choosing renewable energy, reducing waste, and buying sustainably is a way of signalling to leaders the kind of world you want to see.
Political voting matters too, even if its impact seems small on its own. Equally powerful are the countless everyday decisions we make. Feeding food scraps to a chicken instead of throwing them away, planting wildflowers for bees, sharing meals with neighbours, and supporting local producers are all forms of climate action. Each decision sends a signal for sustainability and community. When billions of us send millions of signals every year, the cumulative impact is substantial, even if each individual action is small.
Collectively, this tsunami of small choices can pivot society. Imagine steering a massive ship. Just a one per cent adjustment in the course today can mean a completely different destination months from now. The same is true for culture and collective consciousness. Every small action contributes to the larger movement of climate action.
Slowing Down to Speed Up Climate Action
Here is the paradox. The fastest way to create meaningful climate action is often to slow down. Every time you feel anger or frustration, look in the mirror and ask yourself what changes you can make in your life that will benefit both you and the planet. You do not have to choose one over the other. There is a path forward where your well-being and the health of the world can grow together.
I know that it can feel like we are doing enough, but living your life with integrity matters. It is so much more powerful than it might feel. So when you want to change the whole world, you have to look to yourself first, always. As you make decisions which are healthy for you and the planet, you may naturally find ways to make an even bigger impact through community projects, your career, or other initiatives.
Living a joyful, connected life; nurturing a community; valuing resources; and creating pockets of peace set the stage for wider, sustainable transformation. These acts may feel small or slow, but they ripple outward, inspiring others without pressure or judgment. When we yell at people to hurry up, we often trigger defensiveness, which shuts down engagement rather than spurring it. Gentle, consistent action is far more radical than anger.
By aligning your daily life with your values, you become part of a larger shift in consciousness. You are not just waiting for governments or industries to catch up. You are already building the world you want to see through your own climate action.
The Takeaway
It is frustrating to watch some people and institutions lag behind, and it can trigger anger or despair. But progress is happening, and your choices amplify it. Change does not have to be monumental to be meaningful. It just has to be consistent. By taking care of your community, respecting the planet, and voting with both your voice and your actions, you are helping to accelerate the transition to a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable world.
Sometimes, slowing down, being gentle, and living joyfully is the fastest, most effective climate action of all.
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