Alex Yasbek thought he was doing everything he could to prevent climate change. He went vegan, rode his bike to work, “was into solar before it was legal.” But, then, four years ago, he started working as an environmental program manager for the City of Watsonville and he realized two things: his own privilege and how the systems we have created make it too hard to make environmentally friendly choices, particularly for front-line communities, like those in Watsonville. And the pace of change is too slow to match the impact. “Real climate action is going to require entirely new systems and ways of living,” he writes. From food to banking to fossil fuels, he says it’s time for a radical rethink.

