Provoked proximally by in_parentheses and eighthblackbird and Al Gore, I've been thinking a lot lately about What I Can Do to Help Fix The Climate Crisis. (Wow. That sounds so cheezy
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Umm, America...we're no. 2 in greenhouse grass production. While the China is indeed no. 1, we still have an obligation to find ways to massively reduce our greenhouse gases.
I'm not picking on you personally emblemparade, because I don't know you at all, but I am increasingly frustrated with the willingness of people to embrace obstacles. Just because the Chinese are building coal plants doesn't mean we should keep building coal plants, or drive big ridiculous cars, or anything. I have relatives who refuse to buy cfls because the current presidential administration won't do anything to fix global warming. "So what's the point?" they say. The point is we should each do individually, locally, regionally, nationally what we can do as fast as we can do it. Only then will we manage to have an impact.
I would also add the United States continues to invent new stuff at a rapid rate. No country is as well-positioned as we are to invent things that can help fix the problem. So here in America, we can both have a huge impact by reducing our negative contribution to the problem and by making positive contributions to the solution.
As for Scott, I must confess, I'm not sure how best you can apply your skills. I perceive that in this country we have numerous obstacles to solving global warming: psychological, economic, technological, sociological. Which of those problems is media criticism best able to tackle? What tools are in your toolbox, and what do they do? How can they be applied in interesting and unexpected ways?
You're absolutely right, we have obligations everywhere to reduce the damage. Scott, however, seems to want go beyond moral obligations, and to help in whatever way he can into solving the crisis.
I do think that there's a good change that if the rest of the world reduces damage, China would be forced to, as well. (China is not only #1 in damage, but also #1 in growth of damage, and it's accelerating.) However, that's exactly the kind of speculative thinking of human action and consequence that needs to be done by people who have their finger on the pulse of how human history actually happens. And that's what the modern Humanities are about.
I'm not picking on you personally emblemparade, because I don't know you at all, but I am increasingly frustrated with the willingness of people to embrace obstacles. Just because the Chinese are building coal plants doesn't mean we should keep building coal plants, or drive big ridiculous cars, or anything. I have relatives who refuse to buy cfls because the current presidential administration won't do anything to fix global warming. "So what's the point?" they say. The point is we should each do individually, locally, regionally, nationally what we can do as fast as we can do it. Only then will we manage to have an impact.
I would also add the United States continues to invent new stuff at a rapid rate. No country is as well-positioned as we are to invent things that can help fix the problem. So here in America, we can both have a huge impact by reducing our negative contribution to the problem and by making positive contributions to the solution.
As for Scott, I must confess, I'm not sure how best you can apply your skills. I perceive that in this country we have numerous obstacles to solving global warming: psychological, economic, technological, sociological. Which of those problems is media criticism best able to tackle? What tools are in your toolbox, and what do they do? How can they be applied in interesting and unexpected ways?
Reply
I do think that there's a good change that if the rest of the world reduces damage, China would be forced to, as well. (China is not only #1 in damage, but also #1 in growth of damage, and it's accelerating.) However, that's exactly the kind of speculative thinking of human action and consequence that needs to be done by people who have their finger on the pulse of how human history actually happens. And that's what the modern Humanities are about.
Reply
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