Hypocrisy is a challenging, accusatory, powerful word. Let’s get out of the way that I’m not perfect, I don’t claim perfection, and I often don’t act.

Here are examples of things I hear from people who claim to care about the environment and probably believe they pollute below average, but pollute comparably to average Americans, meaning more than nearly any in history.

“It’s the journey, not the destination,” yet they fly around the world to chosen destinations, polluting more than nearly anyone who has ever lived when they could enjoy activities close to home. They seem to prefer the destination, not the journey, when they want to travel.

“Be the change you want to see in the world,” yet they act on the conflicting belief, “if I act but no one else does then what I do doesn’t matter.” They act against their beliefs and values telling them not to buy from Amazon Prime or whatever polluter

“It’s the thought that counts,” yet they buy tons of gifts and toys that will create a smile for a fleeting moment followed by centuries or millennia of that material gift existing in landfills.

“The Privilege of Scientific Ignorance,” is my name for the phenomenon of people who could know how much their behavior pollutes refusing to accept it.

• ← The Ethicist: Can We Disinherit Our Addicted Son?
• Academia and privilege →