Combatting global climate change is an incredibly pressing and controversial issue. The predominant strategy of confronting climate change in place today is consumption. Ironically, this is precisely the root of the problem. Consumption of goods, even those with the “energy saving appliance” emblem, fails to reach the heart of the problem. Promoting the consumption of these more efficient technologies, Michael Maniates argues in Individualization: Plant a Tree, Buy a Bike, Save the World?, only scratches the surface of reducing human impact on the environment. Rather than companies and communities alike banding together to demand political change as a sweeping force, purchasing power has created a sense of complacent “individualization of responsibility” where buying a reusable shopping bag and using efficient lighting satisfies consumers about their concerns for climate change. Consumerism, … Read entire article »