Dickinson to Durban » Entries tagged with "individualism"
Don’t stop at easy
Michael Maniates sent me a link to an opinion piece that he wrote for Washingtonpostcom in 2007 in which he again returns to the question of what we can/should do to address environmental challenges such as climate change. His message is that doing only what is easy and cost-effective is not enough. More is needed. He writes: “Surely we must do the easy things: They slow the damage and themselves become enabling symbols of empathy for future generations. But we cannot permit our leaders to sell us short. To stop at “easy” is to say that the best we can do is accept an uninspired politics of guilt around a parade of uncoordinated individual action. What of the power and exhilaration that comes from working with others toward bold possibilities for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
Only Collectivism Can Save the Climate
What can each of us do in our daily lives to reduce environmental harm? For many years now, the environmental movement has dedicated itself to providing answers to this question: recycle, drive less, plant a tree, and the list continues. Greenpeace has even put together the handy guide “How to Save the Climate”, which provides a large range of actions one can take to make your contribution. If everyone just did their own part, we could save the planet. Right? Not quite. While recycling and planting trees are definitely activities we should encourage, they will not save the planet. All of these actions are ways for an individual to reduce the harm he or she causes to the environment – the problem, however, is that individuals are not killing the planet, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
Climate Action in an Individualistic Age
Can one save the world by planting a tree? Riding a bike? Recycling? Harnessing solar and geothermal energies? What does it take to avoid disastrous climate change? Bill McKibben, a famous climate change activist and author of the book Eaarth, even argues that the world we live on now is a completely different place than it was fifty, even thirty years ago. It is a new “Eaarth,” to what used to be “Earth.” By presenting this new idea of Eaarth, McKibben shows how already, climate change has altered our world, and now, we face the challenge of mitigating and ultimately, adapting to this change. In its paper, “How To Save the Climate,” Greenpeace cites the Stern Report, which says that action to reduce anthropogenic contributions to climate change must be a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues
The Lorax Can’t Stand Alone
Dr. Seuss’s children’s book, The Lorax, demonstrates the effects of consumerism and industry on our environment, represented by the Truffula forest; as well as the regret we will experience should we fail to take action against these powers, illustrated by the Once-ler. In the end, the Truffula forest is destroyed except for one seed, which is given to a little boy in the hope that he will successfully care for the seed and undo the damage, bringing back the Lorax and his friends. Maniates says that the little boy charged with planting the tree cannot bring back the Truffula tree forest and the Lorax. He criticizes there is too much emphasis on the ability of the individual to effect change, and he makes a valid point. Maniates argues that the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
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