ENVS 160 is tied together with the final book, which gives solutions as to how to deal with all of the issues we are presented with in this class. It advises us on how to act in order to make real change. This post discusses the message underlying this book and how it accomplishes this.
Steinberg, the author of Who Rules the Earth, preaches throughout the book the importance of continuing on with a small scale individual action, but to not stop there. He states in the beginning of this book that individual action is not sufficient to change the world. Steinberg goes on to explain the importance of institutional change, where real change happens, which is big enough to make a difference in environmental policy. In the last few paragraphs of the book Steinberg emphasizes that individual action is still important, often it connects us to the earth and gives us a reason to make a bigger change. But, he claims, “political action can be deeply satisfying in its own right, fulfilling another primordial human need: a meaningful connection with others” he continues on to end the book by saying, “Connecting with the planet and connecting with one another, are two important and complementary activities for the modern citizen looking for creative ways to take part in ruling the earth” (Steinberg 2015, 278-279). In conclusion, we should strive to focus our creativity and human desire to connect towards pursuing institutional change, for the satisfaction it gives us through a sense of accomplishment, as well as the significant changes it may make for the environment.
Another idea Steinberg presents that goes along with striving for institutional change is to think vertically (Steinberg 2015). He believes this a very important mindset to have. Thinking vertically means thinking on many different levels. If you think on many different levels you open your mind to different solutions and perspectives, which is very important when tackling environmental issues. Steinberg summarizes this by saying “thus the first principle of vertical thinking is that the location of a problem, and the site of maximum leverage over that problem, are not one in the same”, therefore just because a problem falls on small-scale or big-scale, does not mean that the solution to the problem is only limited to that level (Steinberg 2015). This way of thinking opens many more possibilities to solving a problem, making it much more likely to find a good solution.
Overall, the main message that Steinberg seems to be trying to get across to his readers is to not limit themselves. He states this in many ways whether it’s through vertical thinking or pushing for creative large-scale action, he feels that much more is achieved if we push harder and go the extra mile.
Works Cited
Steinberg, Paul F. 2015. Who rules the earth?: how social rules shape our planet and our lives.