Of the several texts we have read so far, many reoccurring themes and ideas have surfaced. Interconnecting themes throughout the texts reflect the interrelated issues we have been discussing.
Dematerialization?
Vaclav Smil’s Making the Modern World discusses several commonly used materials throughout history, from stone to plastic. He describes their extraction, production and uses. He also considers whether we are dematerializing or not and if it is a viable solution. Leigh Phillips’ Austerity Ecology, amid eco-socialist arguments, also discusses the notion of consumption with regards to human well-being. He questions if people should consume less and whether it is a viable option. Both Smil and Phillips answer the question of dematerialization with a resounding “NO.” Smil argues that huge “waves” of materialization will sweep developing countries as they catch up to already developed nations (Smil 2014). With regards to the argument for dematerialization, Smil references Mira Kamdar to express that “voluntary simplicity can only appeal to those who have enough to choose to live with less” (Kamdar 2011, 17). Phillips’ argument against dematerialization is almost identical as he points out that the “we” in the statement “we should consume less” assumes that all can afford to do so. This “we” comes from a place of privilege as millions of people continue to struggle to support their basic material needs (Phillips 2015). We must think and act beyond individual dematerialization.
Institutional Action
While both Mike Hulme’s Why We Disagree About Climate Change and Paul Steinburg’s Who Rules the Earth, discuss large scale problems from a variety of perspectives, both agree on the centrality of institutional action with regards to addressing climate change. Hulme suggests that for any progress to be made, clear rules must be set, agreed upon, and followed. Wicked problems like climate change can’t be solved by any individual. Wicked problems require clumsy solutions that consider a variety of views and variables (Hulme 2009). Steinburg also places high value on how institutional action through rulemaking shapes our world in powerful ways. Social rules comprise the world as we know it and we can’t count on any progress to be made without them. Steinburg emphasizes that “to bring about long lasting change requires modifying the very rules that societies live by” (Steinburg 2015, 11). Individual action makes extremely marginal and ephemeral impacts on greater issues compared to institutional action. Laws bring lasting change that is essential for future well being.
Spiritual Connections
Spiritual connections between humans and the ecosystems of which we depend on is an essential trend throughout environmental discourse. According to James Proctor’s book, Old Growth in a New World, American environmentalism holds strong belief in the sacredness of nature. Although spiritual value isn’t often brought up in public discussions regarding science, it is clear that wild lands, like old growth forests, are not only important with regards to the services they provide but for the awe they create. Spiritual and scientific dimensions must both be considered as both are required to move people (Proctor 2009). Deep ecology speaks along similar lines with regards to viewing human interactions with ecosystems as more than strictly scientific. Deep ecology embraces spirituality and the sense of awe we often feel when outdoors. The ecological field worker, “reaches an understanding from within, a kind of understanding that others reserve for fellow men and for a narrow section of ways and forms of life” (Naess 1973). Such understanding is akin to feelings of heightened spirituality one could experience during a religious ceremony or reflective meditation. Spiritual value must be held equal to material value.
Works Cited
Hulme, Mike. 2009. Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kamdar, M. (2011) The Pleasures of Excess. World Policy Journal, 28: 15-19.
Naess, Arne. 1973. “The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement.” Inquiry 16: 95–100.
Phillips, Leigh. Austerity Ecology & The Collapse-Porn Addicts: A Defence of Growth, Progress, Industry and Stuff. Winchester, UK: Zero Books, 2015.
Proctor, James D. 2009. “Old Growth and a New Nature: The Ambivalence of Science and Religion.” In Old Growth in a New World: A Pacific Northwest Icon Reexamined, edited by Thomas Allen Spies and Sally L. Duncan, 104–15. Island Press.
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, United States: Oxford University Press