As we learned from Why We Disagree About Climate Change, by Mike Hulme, climate change is a “wicked problem”. By definition, according to Horst Rittel, a planning theorist, “wicked problems” are essentially unique, have no definitive formulation and can even be considered symptoms of yet other problems (Hulme, 2009). This definition of “wicked” is very applicable to the “problem” of climate change as it is understood conventionally by individuals, in that it is a situation defined by “uncertainty, inconsistent and ill-defined needs, preferences and values; unclear understanding of means, consequences or cumulative impacts of collective actions; and fluid participation in which multiple, partisan participants vary in the amount of resources they invest in resolving problems (Hulme, 2009).” According to Hulme, failing to situate climate change as a “wicked problem” has led to the construction of a global solution-structure that is in many ways either inadequate or inappropriate given the intractability of climate change. The problem with constructing a global solution structure, is that it has many different and sometimes contradictory elements that have the ability to cause strong disagreement or simply transfer the problem elsewhere. Hulme pleads us to not overestimate the abilities of economics, politics or technology in taming our changing climate, and instead to situate climate change as a “wicked problem” requiring of us to “rethink the nature of the solutions we seek and the way in which we implement them (Hulme, 2009).
Similarly, in Who Rules the Earth, by Paul F. Steinberg, environmental problems are situated, literally, as “un-ruly”. Steinberg gives environmental problems this title for he understands the immense scope that they fall under. Environmental problems don’t stop at the borders of nations or agency jurisdictions but rather permeate throughout the entirety of the world, challenging our ability to launch a coordinated response and calling for us to construct a multilevel view of the world. According to Steinberg tackling these unruly problems requires that we utilize multiple levels of political organization from the national level all the way down to the town or city level and everything in between (Steinberg, 2015). The thinking is that we cannot confine ourselves to one level of governance if we are to solve environmental problems which are themselves multileveled. Steinberg puts forth instead that by thinking vertically, by thinking and acting on multiple levels as well as rulemaking on these levels, we can make progress towards resolving environmental problems.
As I discussed in my first individual post here, Mike Hulme uses Cultural Theory to describe why it is we disagree about environmental problems. The breakdown between Egalitarians, Fatalists, Individualists and Hierarchists, within which individuals, social groups or entire societies may be placed, really comes down to the degree of belief held by the individual or group in relation to social regulation and social contact. These four “ways of life” offer rich insight into how and why different people in different cultures perceive risks in different ways (Hulme, 2009).
Just as Hulme goes beneath the surface by tracing certain ways of thinking and believing, in order to explain disagreement surrounding environmental problems Vaclav Smil does something very similar in Making the Modern World. Instead of situating individuals and groups as Hulme does, Smil chooses instead to situate materials in order to analyze the consumption of materials and how the exploitation of them are causing environmental problems. Smil situates materials back at their sites of production, considering three hidden flow forces: Nature, Meaning and Social Relations. Smil also utilizes Life Cycle Assessments in order to evaluate the burdens of production, reuse and performance of materials such as metals and plastics. In doing so Smil is illuminating for us the real root of many environmental problems, just as Hulme has described the root of our disagreement on these issues.
In Austerity Ecology & The Collapse-Porn Addicts, by Leigh Phillips, the author dramatically rejects the notion of degrowth being necessary in tackling environmental issues, and in fact sees more growth as necessary along with continued progress and industry. She criticizes the current class-based anti-consumerism and localism that abounds as neoliberal, while calling for the rejection of “basic needs”. Instead of blaming our environmental problems on capitalism and growth, she insists that we “focus on the real systemic gremlins responsible for our predicament”(Phillips, 2015). In the end, Phillips stresses the need for a reconstructed government and the importance of acting on an institutional level versus an individual one.
The thinking of Phillips seems to be in alignment with many of the concepts of contemporary environmental thought. Those who are proponents of contemporary environmental thought believe that action on the institutional level is paramount, as well as that technology and advancement will help us solve our problems. The viewpoint that is created through this kind of thinking such as the one that Phillips holds is one of positivity regarding our future and our ability to change and adapt for a better world, not one envisioning an apocalyptic collapse. Phillips is clear in her opinion that we should not abandon what has brought us to this place, our ability to adapt, improvise and create, however we must remember that perhaps there are limits to our ability to solve environmental problems with technology.
Citations
Hulme, M. Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Smil, Vaclav. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley, 2014.
Steinberg, Paul F. Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives. New York, NY: Oxford Univ. Press, 2015.
Phillips, Leigh. Austerity Ecology & The Collapse-Porn Addicts: A Defense of Growth, Progress, Industry and Stuff. Winchester, UK: Zero Books, 2015.