Who Rules the Earth by Paul Steinberg (2015) is a book focused on challenging the social rules in place in order to enact widespread change within the realm of environmentalism. Especially in regards to moving towards a more sustainable future, to ensure the Earth will be around for generations to come.
A recurring theme in ENVS 160 is using the information we have learned this semester from our readings and class discussions in order to make informed decisions to catalyse instrumental change. What Steinberg focuses on in WRE (2015) is that individual action alone cannot and will not change the world. In another class reading from a section of A Dictionary of Human Geography (Castree 2013) brings up the term “glocalization”, which is similar to Steinbergs point of no longer thinking globally and acting locally. He states that is not enough to simply recycle. Individual action doesn’t matter because of the built environment we live in and the institutional rules we abide by. On page 220 of WRE Steinberg says, “a concerned citizen reaches for the eco-friendly shampoo bottle and is done” (Steinberg 2015). I often find myself making these same choices, purchasing organic produce and cruelty free cosmetic products. However, my decision to make these more environmentally friendly purchases does not scale down the mass amounts of greenhouse gases emitted by the United States every year. In order to make real change, the rules in which we abide by must be changed first.
To change these rules is easier said than done, take Steinbergs example of the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service was created in order to protect and preserve the forests and the species that live within them. Sometimes though, when an entity constructed to be powerful and protective is too rigid it cannot adapt to the change that naturally occurs as time progresses. In the last sentence of the section titled The Perils of Permanence, Steinberg states, “the Forest Service immunized itself against new ideas at a great cost to our natural environment” (Steinberg 2015). Anything too rigid or stubborn to change is eventually going to fail, unless it can adjust to the changing rules of the world.
In terms of my personal and scholarly life I am moving forward with the tools and lessons to enact institutional change. The most important thing I am taking away from this text is that rigidity and stubbornness in thought and action can be detrimental to progressing in life. Whether it be in the realm of academia and my future Environmental Studies pursuits, or generalised to include my broader life. I must be aware and receptive of all of the moving pieces of these issues and then solve them by changing the social normalities that perpetuate them. Fixing problems like ocean acidification, habitat loss, and climate refugees can be compared to pulling a weed. If you simply cut the stem down the weed will regrow, however, if you pull the weed by its root it can no longer continue to grow. Problems that stem from climate change are the same; you can’t solve the problems without getting to the root of them. When we begin to change the social rules or normalities that we exist within, true change will happen.
Works Cited
Steinberg, Paul F. 2015. Who rules the earth?: how social rules shape our planet and our lives. New York, NY: Oxford Univ. Press.