Not enough people apparently. And why should they??? What is one really good reason to motivate people to care about the environment besides goodwill, peace on earth, and posterity...I can't think of anything. If capitalism has taught us anything, people only care about themselves and what they can get for themselves in their lifetime. Our greed is so astounding that we don't even dare to admit to it. We set up these corporations to hide behind and shoulder the blame for our greed--after all, these corporations exist solely for profits, and so how can we really blame these entities for doing what they are supposed to do?
So in dealing with the environment, how can we motivate people enough to care about the environment? Obviously goodwill, peace on earth, and posterity is not working out. Human greed trumps any of these feel good reasons anytime when dealing with entire populations. Case in point: for the longest time, I have always wondered why we haven't figured out alternatives to fossil fuels yet. I mean we know it's going to end someday, so why hasn't anything much been done for the past 15 years? Then I watched "who killed the electric car," and it made sense why we are still using outdated technology in our vehicles. We estimate that the world's fossil fuel supply is going to end in the next 20-30 years, and after watching the movie, here's what I think is going in on in some of our minds:
Consumers - I'll think about it when it really affects me... I'll just get on with my life right now.
Politicians - Let's not ruffle any feathers if I don't have to... if it becomes a big enough issue, I'll address it before the next elections.
Corporations - 20-30 years of oil supply... well I guess we'll just have to make as much money as we can while there's still oil around, and make sure the alternatives don't hurt the profits right now.
Everyone is looking out for themselves first, and I am convinced that the only way to make people care about the environment is to capitalize on their greed. Look at microfinancing for example, it works because people can make money from it... so how do make greed work for the environment?
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6 comments:
Wilson,
I have been continuously thinking throughout this class that greed is one of the biggest barriers in dealing with any of these issues. Food security, environment, etc.
It seems like we won't be ready to quit our "oil addiction" until it is too late. Last night some people said that we won't do anything until there huge catastrophes have occurred. But there have already been huge catastrophes! Tsunamis and Katrina... we as consumers get too involved in our day to day lives, and have a very small capacity to think in the long term. Corporations and politicians know this, and thus remain apathetic.
One interesting thing is that alternative fuels have in the past few months become "cooler". And the environment and green things are all the rage, even with oil companies. Take a look at the BP website. Did you notice they have changed their colors recently? And they make a big deal about sustainability, environment, and responsibility. I remember that a BP executive mentioned in the film "The Corporation" their new stance on social responsibility. I'd really recommend reading their 2005 Sustainability Report. It's pretty interesting, as is the formation of BP Alternative Energy (in which BP wants to invest $8 billion over 10 years). Maybe the oil companies ARE realizing that they will be really out of luck in a few decades, and are trying to adjust accordingly. Or they're just preparing to make more profits post-catastrophes.
Interesting perspective - I tend to agree that most humans today are greedy. I also agree that politicians and corporations look out primarily for their own self-interest. However, this is not the case universally, as is shown by the efforts of NGOs and past presidents after they have completed their terms of office. While their efforts make a tangible difference, I recognize that the size, scope, and reliability of these efforts have to this point not been macrocosmic.
I too have been constantly thinking about this and I think that the only way to make change is to show that there are ways to make money from good things. Maybe even some day show that one doesn't need piles of money in order to have happiness or even power (wishful thinking, I know). I mentioned Dwell magazine on my blog this last week, and there was and entire issue in Sept. 2006 called Green Goes Mainstream. Like Mana mentions here, alternative fuels and sustainable methods are becoming cooler. Hopefully some of these companies can get others to catch on, all they need is the right mass of consumers....
hi wilson,
one positive change i've seen recently is that people who recycle are being rewarded with monetary incentives. nowadays, your plastic bottles and soda cans are no longer trash. if you throw them away, you are quite literally throwing away money; you could drop them off at a recycling site and be reimbursed. i've never done it for cash, but i overheard someone in the grocery store saying she made about $7 from recycling...she was really happy about it. mana & robyn made good points about making this stuff "cool". when was the last time we saw a commercial with a movie star recycling? i definitely noticed when celebrities started driving hybrid cars, just because it received so much media attention.
thanks for bringing this up!
hi wilson,
i completely agree with you...we have to capitalize on people's greed. maybe we need to see the return on investment of taking public transit or riding a bike to work.
but maybe the whole idea of appealing to people based on their children and families will work too. the whole idea of future generations not being able to use natural resources because of individual and national excess gets to me. thanks for your post.
wilson,
this new york times article on making environmental clean-up lucrative for China seems relevant to your post:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/business/21pollute.html?ex=1324357200&en=3cc7d8f20bf8a449&ei=5088
i hope it works. if not, just fyi the name of the article is "outsize profits, and questions, in effort to cut warming gases" from last december.t
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