Irish Examiner view: We all have our own part to play

Patagonia transfer

Yvon Chouinard, the billionaire founder of the outdoor apparel brand Patagonia.

When it comes to the climate crisis, we often find ourselves asking the most basic question: What difference can I make?

The dismaying news from all over the world detailing the ravages of the crisis can make anyone feel overwhelmed and question whether one person’s contribution is really meaningful.

In that context, it was encouraging to see the contribution of one person this week — founder and owner of the Patagonia clothing company, Yvon Chouinard.

Chouinard, 83, could have sold his company or taken it public and made an equally vast profit, but instead he and his family have decided to give Patagonia away.

They have transferred all of the voting shares in the company to a trust which will make sure the brand’s environmental values are respected, while all of the non-voting shares have been transferred to a non-profit organisation which fights climate change and works for nature conservation. Company profits will be donated to those causes while the Chouinard family will take no money from the company.

Cynics may find it easy to poke fun at Chouinard for his hippyish idealism (the company announcement began: “Hey friends, we just gave our company to Planet Earth”) but the enormity of his gesture is stunning.

Business experts value Patagonia at around €3bn, an unimaginable fortune — but a fortune on which the Chouinard family is turning its back.

It also serves as a forceful reminder to individuals that they, too, can make a difference when it comes to the fight against climate change — even if their contribution doesn’t quite rise to the value of Patagonia.