Marlene, in her intention post talks about how inflexibility leads to failed solutions. If we intend on doing something but refuse to adapt along the way then that intention stays an intention and never forms into a solution. I agree with Marlene in part, but I also think the idea of thinking in long-term vs. short-term is important as well. Individuals think about benefits now. We are surrounded by instance rewards. If you change your profile picture on Facebook, you are instantly rewarded by people liking it. We forget that restoration is more expensive than mitigation. Even though coming up with plans for mitigation is more challenging and expensive in the now, in the long-run it will pay off by the lack of money being spent on fixing the problem.
Something else I would like to add is the idea of their being a solution. There is no perfect solution. I’m sorry but there isn’t. For instance, if we subsidize renewable resources and make it cheaper than coal, then people will most likely switch to renewable resources. Coal will still exist and it will still be used but not as much. All solutions are situational. There will always be pollutants but the idea with intention is the intent to reduce an issue. It isn’t about finding THE solution because no such thing exists. It’s the intent to help a problem.
One concept that stuck with me from ENVS 160 is the idea of “Love Your Monsters” by Bruno Latour. If the monster in Frankenstein had been loved and not abandoned then in theory the monster’s issues could have been corrected or prevented. Sometimes your intentions will fail but it’s about following your intentions. Adjusting your original idea to correct it towards each situation. Initial ideas may seem brilliant at the time but you have to keep up with the times for it to work. Kind of like how platforms of social media have changed over the years from MySpace, to Facebook, to Instagram.