I have to admit, my life has not gotten any cheerier since I started this class. The destruction of humanity and all of nature seem to dominate most of my conversations with friends and loved ones. I actually quite concerned that I’m going to stop being invited places. And it’s not like I wasn’t aware of these issues previously, but I don’t think I fully realized the critical nature of the problems. Besides those in the minority that feel as though there are no real problems facing humanity and the fragile ecological systems that bind this planet together, I think there is overwhelming consensus that there are issues that must be addressed. The question then becomes, what should we do about it?
For those that recognize that global climate change with prove to be the one issue that forces a total restructuring of society because of the nature and complexity of the problems that must be faced, they will say that individuals and the market will work it out. Callously, Some will even claim that climate change will be beneficial for some on this planet; in particular the United States. To my understanding, the argument goes something like this; the U.S. is far more prepared to deal with the devastating effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, food shortages, and water scarcity. As a result of our “preparedness”, our geopolitical position as a global leader will be solidified as countries less able to deal with the negative effects come to rely more heavily on us. Very Darwinian.
Those less cynical about humanity believe that much is necessary to be done, but what that is exactly is being debated. Some see population as the main problem, others believe that degrowth is the only solution, and there is also the school of thought that sees a major institutional overhaul as the only possible way to tackle a problem of this scale. I don’t think that any one on its own holds the keys to the kingdom. And honestly, at this point in the course, I don’t know if any of them will do any good overall. Maybe at most they will soften the landing. But pull us back from the edge of the cliff… probably not. Many like Assadourian believe that we have learned consumerism as a way of life, but I do not believe this to be the whole truth. What I feel we have learned is the expectation of comfort. Of course this expectation has grown with time and innovation, but people the world over are continuously in contact with the higher expectations that surround them in the form of media and societal examples. We don’t know what will bring us higher levels of comfort, but because we have more disposable income to experiment with, we’ll try just about anything. Combine this comfort curiosity with a multi-hundreds of billions of dollars advertising budget and you have a ripe situation for the consumption of lots of goods (or bads), depending on how you want to look at it.
I’m not overly optimistic in the possibility of re-shifting wealthy nations resources from those that possess the largest shares of wealth to those with small portions. Although more equitable societies tend to have less crime, higher education, lower infant mortality rates, and a whole host of more wholesome other social benchmarks, cultural norms in the U.S. are such that any suggestion to shift the focus away from individual achievement to more collective action is seen akin to communism, and is a political nonstarter. Just like societies throughout history have watch as the world collapses around them. Workers today are more content to watch workplace equity disappear. People are working more and longer hours for a relatively smaller slice of the pie. Those in control of the resources, who have little incentive to change the system, also have the loudest voice within the system. Civic engagement and action are the only possible way major societal shifts can take place. The occupy movement failed as a result of a lack of clear, actionable objective. I do see climate change as a possible rallying target that could shift the balance of power. Only time will tell I suppose.
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