At first glance, it’s easy to displace any parallels between the vast array of sections we have covered in the ENVS 160 course. But by taking a closer look and processing the material thoroughly, we can link many of the topics to overarching themes that contributed to their existence.
The first connection I was able to identify was a string between contemporary environmentalism and Vaclav Smil’s book Making the Modern World. In classic vs contemporary environmentalism we see a struggle based around development. (Hardin 1968, Meadows 1974, Shellenberger 2011, Phillips 2015) Classic environmentalist view development and consumerism with a suspicious eye, and are weary of its sustained growth and prosperity. The classic view is much more conservative regarding nature and our interactions with it and they don’t view technology as a positive mechanism to further the pro-environment movement. Contemporary environmentalist on the other hand view such development as a tool to help pro-environmental thinking and actions. They are in strong favor of using technology to their advantage to help further their goals. We see a connection between classic environmentalist thought and that of Smil’s in Making the Modern World where he questions the importance of technology and modernity by questioning the link between material consumption and objective and subjective quality of life. (Smil, 2014)
The second connection I made, growing off the first one, was the connection between social rules and how they shape our uses and value of materials. In Steinbergs book Who Rules the World he discusses the ides of value and he says that it can be both created and destroyed by social rules. Steinberg says “Some of our most innovative environmental policies and regulations have embedded within them market incentives designed to promote pro-environment behavior” (Steinberg 2015, 95) He then uses the cap-and-trade system to explore how economic prosperity can be promoted without having a harmful effect on the environment.We also see value discussed in Vaclav Smil’s book Making the Modern World where he discusses material consumption and the value we have put on certain mediums over others. Vaclav when speaking of minimizing entropy said “This calls for a new society where, once basic material needs are taken care of, the sense of well being and satisfaction would be derived from experiences that are not at all, or only marginally, correlated with higher energy flows and expanding material possessions.” (Smil 2014, 152) He states that this has great potential of reaping benefits due to recent studies that have shown that materialism is negatively related to life contentment.
The final connection I made had to do with governance and responsibility of climate change action. In Why We Disagree About Climate Change by Mike Hulme, he explores the issue of how to govern climate, and who has the right to do so. He explores governing climate through treaties, through the market and finally with civic environmentalism and non-state actors. Steinberg in Who Rules the Earth also deals with issue of governance of climate, but unlike Hulme who presents the problem and its complexities with only minor hints at possible solutions, Steinberg says “We cannot confine our energies to one level of governance… Sometimes caring for the earth requires smaller political units to band together.” (Steinberg 2015, 163) Steinberg has a much more positive outlook on the sources that can be used to govern climate when compared to Hulmes who feels that these sources are most often plagued with failure and frustration.
By connecting these pieces of work, we gain a fuller understanding of their meaning and can aim as to how to use this work to further our pro-environmental action. It’s important to address the connections to further validate the work and ideas of each authors, and continue to grow the anthology of environmental awareness.
Smil, Vaclav. 2014. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley.
Steinberg, Paul F. 2015. Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Hulme, Mike. Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Meadows, Donella H., Dennis L. Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens. 1974. The Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome’s Project on the Predicament of Mankind. New York: Universe Books.
Hardin, Garrett. 1968. “The Tragedy of the Commons.” Science 162.
Shellenberger, Michael, and Ted Nordhaus, eds. 2011. Love Your Monsters: Postenvironmentalism and the Anthropocene. Breakthrough Institute.
Leigh Phillips, author. 2015. Austerity Ecology & the Collapse-Porn Addicts: A Defence of Growth, Progress, Industry and Stuff. Winchester, UK ; Washington, USA: Zero Books.