Definition
Throughout the years, one of the biggest issues in acting against climate change is the disagreement among countries on what climate change is and how to go about solving the issue. One way to get around this issue is to abort the nationalistic view of today’s society and exchange it for a cosmopolitan view of political issues. Cosmopolitanism as defined by Gustavo Lins Ribeiro- Chair of the Metropolitan University of Iztapalapa, is “a western notion that epitomizes the need social agents have to conceive of a political and cultural entity, larger than their own homeland, that would encompass all human beings on a global scale” (Ribeiro, 2005). Wikipedia also states that “cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all human beings belong to a single community, based on a shared morality” (Wikipedia). A person who adheres to the idea of cosmopolitanism in any of its forms is called a cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. A cosmopolitan community might be based on an inclusive morality, a shared economic relationship, or a political structure that encompasses different nations. In a cosmopolitan community individuals from different places (e.g. nation-states) form relationships of mutual respect. As an example, Kwame Anthony Appiah suggests the possibility of a cosmopolitan community in which individuals from varying locations (physical, economic, etc.) enter relationships of mutual respect despite their differing beliefs (religious, political, etc.). It is a theory of social reality and identity that situates the local in a larger global context. Cosmopolitanism is the opposite of localism, which is “the notion that local scales of production and consumption are best” (Wikipedia).
Context
The idea of cosmopolitanism was initially a philosophical root in ancient Greece where during the cynic movement, Diogenes was quoted saying “I am a citizen of the world”. Since this movement in 412 BC the cosmopolite viewpoint was abandoned for a nationalistic culture until 1795 when Immanuel Kant proposed the idea of universal hospitality- the idea that the earth belongs to all humans so there is no reason to be fighting wars over it. This proposition by Kant was the start of modern cosmopolitanism.
Ulrich Beck was one of the first to propose the actual idea of cosmopolitanism, while opposing nationalistic politics. Beck believes that cosmopolitanism is the key to handling the climate change issue because “people see themselves both as part of an endangered world and as part of their local histories and survival situations” and because “global risks tear down borders and cannot be handled differently by each nation but universally as one” (Beck 2010).
Cosmopolitanism did leave its mark on the world displayed firstly by the Declaration of the Rights of Man in France, 1789 during the Enlightenment Period which was an article guaranteeing basic human rights to French citizens. It also made its mark when the United Nations developed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guaranteed basic human rights to all of mankind, proposed by Immanuel Kant (Appiah 2006).
Critique
Cosmopolitanism – the ideology that all human beings belong to a single community, based on a shared morality – has the potential to spark a movement large enough to tackle immense environmental problems (e.g. climate change). In fact, Ulrich Beck argues that, “A cosmopolitan outlook is necessary when faced with risks that threaten the survival of our planet,” (Spector 2014). As we learned in class, actions taken at an individual level do not lead to significant changes. Rather, it is when individuals in society advocate for change at an institutional level (e.g. policies, regulations, etc.) that actual change begins to occur.
However, the challenge of cosmopolitanism, “is to take minds and hearts formed over the long millennia of living in local troops and equip them with ideas and institutions that will allow us to live together as the global tribe we have become,” (Appiah 2006). Over the course of this semester, we have discovered that it is almost impossible for individuals to reach a consensus regarding problems (e.g. Why We Disagree About Climate Change). Part of the reason why no remarkable change has occurred is because movements have not been resembled cosmopolitanism ideologies – forming a unified community. Giroux states that, “No significant change will take place and the destruction of human life and the planet itself will be imminent.”
In theory, Cosmopolitanism would allow humans to solve complex environmental problems through the formation of a single community because of their shared goals and beliefs. However, historically humans have been divided because of different core beliefs and values. Power, wealth, and social status have caused certain individuals to put place a greater emphasis on personal gain rather than the common good. This where cosmopolitanism ideologies will fail. The “if,” in this situation may be unrealistic, causing cosmopolitanism to remain solely as an idea.
Conclusion
One of the central questions guiding recent research in environmental politics is: “What factors help shape an individual’s opinions on environmental issues?” Studies concerning environmental public opinion have attempted to explain the variance in individuals’ environment attitudes from several different approaches. Though many have explored the influence of various social demographic variables, as well as political ideology and party identification, results have varied and none of these variables have had sufficient explanatory power to adequately explain the variance in individuals’ environmental attitudes. Consequently, recent research has shifted its focus to exploring how personal values and cultural worldviews may influence environmental consciousness. “Cosmopolitanism may be defined as an ideology which holds that one’s primary allegiance should be to humanity as a whole and not necessarily to those with whom one shares a national identity” (Contorno 2012). A cosmopolitan favors intensity of needs over proximity of needs. Conversely, patriotism may be defined as an ideology which holds that one’s primary allegiance should be to one’s country and its citizens’ needs. A patriot favors proximity of needs over intensity. While patriots primarily see themselves as citizens of their own locality/nation, cosmopolitans see themselves (in addition to their national citizenship) as citizens of the world. Because environmental degradation is an international phenomenon with transnational externalities, I believe that individuals with cosmopolitan values are likely to show a greater concern for environmental issues than those with patriotic values like localists.
While egalitarian and postmaterialist values are logical choices to explore in explaining eco-consciousness, cosmopolitanism is an ideology that justifies more analysis concerning its possible influence on environmental attitudes. Because externalities of environmental degradation, e.g. air pollution, often cannot be internalized, environmental problems are global issues which require a global consciousness and multilateral effort in order to destroy. Therefore, some scholars argue that a global conception of citizenship is required in order to foster a sense of obligation to environmental issues. As Gabrielson notes, “The transnational character of environmental degradation, globalization, the logic of neo-liberalism, and widespread migration are some of the most prominent factors altering the contexts of contemporary citizenship” (Gabrielson 2008). According to this logic, it seems likely that those individuals who already see themselves as global citizens and favor intensity of need over proximity (cosmopolitans) will show greater concern for environmental issues than those whose primary allegiance is to national issues (patriots).
To elaborate, the argument in favor of a cosmopolitan conception of citizenship as a means to environmentalism is as follows: citizens who view themselves as “citizens of the world” rather than only citizens of their own nation-state are more likely to show concern for the environment, for not only do they feel an obligation to preserve the integrity of their own local environment, but also to preserve the integrity of ecosystems around the world for their fellow global citizens. While patriots are primarily concerned about citizens of their own nation, cosmopolitans have equally as strong moral obligations to citizens around the world. Therefore, while a cosmopolitan’s own immediate environment may not be suffering the consequences of climate change and environmental degradation, a cosmopolitan will feel obligated to take steps to prevent environmental damage due to its current detrimental effects in other regions around the world. For example, although there may not be a severe shortage of freshwater in the United States, cosmopolitan U.S. citizens may take steps to conserve water because they know that freshwater depletion is an environmental issue affecting citizens in other nations. Patriots may not have this same consciousness, for they are primarily concerned about issues affecting their own nation.
BY: Karli Uwaine, Heisman Hosoda, and Connor Schenk
References
Beck, Ulrich. “Climate for Change, or How to Create a Green Modernity?” Theory, Culture & Society27, no. 2-3 (2010): 254-66. doi:10.1177/0263276409358729.
Appiah, Kwame Anthony. Cosmopolitanism: ethics in a world of strangers. London: Penguin, 2007. “Cosmopolitanism.” Wikipedia. March 18, 2017. Accessed March 23, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitanism.
“Google Ngram Viewer.” Google Books. Accessed March 23, 2017. books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Cosmopolitanism&year_start=1800&year_end=20 00&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CCosmopolitanism%3B%2Cc0.
Ribeiro, Gustavo Lins. “What is Cosmopolitanism?” Accessed March 23, 2017. http://www.vibrant.org.br/downloads/v2n1_wc.pdf
Spector, Hannah. “The Who and What of Cosmopolitanism.” Springer Link. Philos Educ (2015) 34:423doi:10.1007/s11217-014-9441-4. September 12, 2014. Accessed March 23, 2017. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11217-014-9441-4
“Localism (politics).” Wikipedia. March 24, 2017. Accessed March 24, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Localism_(politics).
“Cosmopolitanism.” Wikipedia. March 23, 2017. Accessed March 24, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitanism.