An Analysis of Who Rules The Earth
The author Paul Steinberg introduces Who Rules the Earth to the reader by discussing who bears the responsibility for confronting global warming. From the perspective of social science the reader is given a greater grasp of how individuals feel alone in tackling the overwhelming concept of global temperatures increasing and what that means for the fate of our planet. What has appeared to be most poignant in the text is gaining a greater understanding for the need for structure in environmental policy. “There are social rules that pattern this physical reality. Sometimes these rules take the form of laws. In other instances they appear as building codes or product design standards”(Steinberg 2015, 19). This is an interesting note to make, but what intrigues me most is how human attention to issues truly affects what policies are made. Essentially this text is reminding me of all the hindrances humanity puts in its own way including how humans limit themselves by looking for quick fixes to situations. A specific reason “why we do not live in the best of all feasible worlds is that decision makers- be they companies, consumers, mayors, parents, or presidents- often lack the information they need to make the best decision” (Steinberg 2015, 44). The question I am left with after reading Chapter four of Who Rules the Earth is what action is the right action? Each kind of action has its own form of consequence, so what needs to be considered is what are the consequences that you are ok and willing to live with. That opens up a whole new moral high ground that can never fully be covered. That has personally applied to me in the way I approach my diet. I was vegetarian my junior year of high school, but then stopped because I wanted to eat meat again. In considering all of the issues surrounding vegetarian and vegan diets there are different consequences for choosing to eat or not eat meat. The narrative like tone of the vignettes used to explain larger points feels less academic than most other texts we have read this semester. I did however appreciate the use of the Cerulean Warbler to gain a greater understanding of how government rules deeply influence the economic and social attitudes towards the environment. “Cerulean warblers feel the effects of these rules as they pass over a patchwork of land at varying levels of degradation because of habilitation” (Steinberg 2015, 76). On a larger scale, the international implementation of environmental legislation appears to be very difficult to achieve because there is no accountability. This also seems to be because no one can have claim to the global environment or feels completely connected to it, so the conclusion I have reached from question Who Rules The Earth? is that no one can fully master or conquer the earth. This is why implementing any type of legislation or social change control the environment is so fruitless.
Works Cited:
Steinberg, Paul F. 2015. Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.