The problem is that the value of the environment is not straightforward, as they often relate to a quality of life that is embedded in particulars, not universals. When I lived in southern California, life without a car outside of Los Angeles would have been challenging. My housing choices would be limited, possibly affecting my quality of life. As it turned out, my decisions were independent of my environmental impact. I had a 20 mile commute, albeit in a hybrid, but my choices affected everyone’s quality of life in terms of pollution, as well as the amounts of global greenhouse gasses. Should policy affect choices like this?
In our everyday lives, we all have a set of practices that we take for granted. In Pierre Bourdieu’s parlance, this would be habitus. These practices are tied to environmental outcomes, whether we’re aware of them or not. We only seem to be aware of them through consciousness or cost.
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- jh64487
- added this
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Don't worry----after the armageddon there will be plenty of wilderness left.
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If and when we quit building the earth will repair it self if not we won't be here to complane. just the bugs and little critters and every now and then something will crawl out of the sea and slowly make it's way up the food chain.
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Here is a very accurate and concise video about what we are up against in trying to save the earth.
Western technological society is setting itself up for self exterminaton. When it happens, it will be sudden and catastrophic. The population of the earth far exceeds the ability of the earth to support them, even right now. We totally rely on industrial means to support life----yet our entire industrial base depends on energy sources that are not sustainable or renewable. Politicians are talking about fixing things in 50 years. We don't have 50 years.
Most people talk about needing "new" technology or waiting for some great discovery to come along. That is not going to happen. The truth is, we have all the technology to make a renewable and sustainable society right here, right now, and most of it, we have had for 100 years or more.
The only thing that is lacking is people with the resolve and determination to make things happen.
The only thing we don't have is enough people who care about the earth, and other people to make that the priority instead of coporate profits and greed.
As Ben Franklin said after the signing of the Declaraion of Independence, "Now we must hang together, for if we don't, we will surely hang seperately."
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I write about energy, the environment, and social justice issues, and always try to point out that people are part of the environment, so social justice is an environmental issue, because people are going to do whatever they have to do to survive, first and foremost. At the farthest extreme of environmentally destructive behaviour undertaken for survival's sake is military enlistment. Faced with unemployment, extreme deprivation, and, possibly, the inability to survive, young people will enlist and participate in the rape and plunder of the planet for profit, if that's what it takes.
The same is true for various toxic forms of employment, and, for driving cars to work, if it's the only apparent way to survive.
So, taking care of people---social justice---also means taking care of the planet.
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- Ann_Garrison
- 4 months ago
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Ann---your view is included in "The Story of Stuff"
