ENVS 160 has a strong point: its required readings are well chosen. Moreover, they are insightful and properly challenge the conventional frameworks and assumptions popularized by trendy, crunchy liberalism that manifest themselves from the merits of organic acai bowls to the virtuosity of buying local. Going deeper, they raise important questions about the methods of effectively addressing climate change in academic environmental thought. From Mike Hulme’s Why We Disagree About Climate Change to Paul F. Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth?, I have learned to reframe the conception of climate change as an ideology, to seek institutional regulation reform over individual action, and to regard regulation and market cohesion as an effective tool to solve environmental problems.
Of the readings, Hulme’s effort to define climate change struck me first. His assertion that climate change is multidimensional and, as such, simultaneously takes the forms of physical phenomenons, ideologies, and histories has changed my perception on climate. I realized that I also unconsciously subscribed to the, “peculiarly Western separation… of Culture from Nature, illustrated above in the way we have presented the idea of climate as either physical or cultural” (Hulme 2010) even though “such dualism is rarely found in traditional non-Western cultures and yet exposure of such cultures to Enlightenment rationality has influenced the way in which climate is perceived” (Hulme 2010). Before reading this, I hadn’t realized how my western upbringing had programmed me to see climate as separate from myself. I hadn’t considered that my climate change ideology lacked cultural and localized depth because I had assumed that objective and scientific assessments were the only elements that mattered when understanding climate change.
If the western world’s climate ideology naturally puts them out of touch with climate change, then what is serious enough to arise a reaction from them? Paul F. Steinberg would suggest that meddling with private property does the trick because “property rules reflect social priorities and encode particular configurations of power” (Steinberg 2015). With this idea, gaining capital became synonymous with gaining quantifiable power. It is no wonder how the roots of individualism became deeply seeded within American culture. When turned to activism, voting with one’s dollar seems like a meaningful way to engage in individual action. As I soon learned from Steinberg, this wasn’t necessarily the case. Instead, I learned that institutional regulation is a more effective tool to change corporate behavior because it can indirectly reshape the market to internalize negative environmental externalizes. Therefore, institutional change is more effective in reducing co2 emissions or other forms of pollution relative to groups of people who change their lifestyles to fit a more eco-friendly image.
Finally, not only does Steinberg speak to the importance of regulation for the sake of effective environmental protection, but he also taught me that there is nothing inherently wrong with the system of capitalism. Rather, our systems are corrupt and exploitative because they have poorly written and enforced regulations. If anything, “Healthy economies require strong, competent government bureaucracies” (Steinberg 2015) and such reform can bring widespread changes to many issues of social and environmental inequality.
From Hulme, I learned that climate change is a deeply personal ideology that cannot be discussed or viewed in a single way. From Steinberg, I am convinced that institutional change is more effective than individual action and that regulation and coordination between the government and market is necessary to limit negative externalizes. Moreover, I am beginning to see that economics is an effective framework to put my climate change ideologies into practice. With a newfound interest in economics, I can appreciate the value of having an applied discipline to properly address environmental problems.
Works Cited
Hulme. Why We Disagree About Climate Change. NY: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Steinberg, Paul F. Who Rule the Earth?. New York , NY: Oxford University Press, 2015.