This misses something really major. Decisions around climate change and our individual behavior do have a moral component. It's not to say that if someone takes an extra flight each year it makes them a bad person, but our moral obligations to other people, and to future people, should be at least part of the decision-making calculus.
Faced with these awkward moral questions, it's easier for MPs—and all kinds of leaders—to preach about the things we can do to reduce emissions that don't require any moral calculations about our behavior.
I think to try to set some sort of example but not be too saintly is how one MP put it. This sentiment often reflects public perceptions of environmental responsibility.
Two MPs told him that they felt it'd be seen as 'virtue signaling,' and when they were asked about cutting their own emissions, some seemed concerned that they'd be seen as environmental radicals.
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