Conscious Thinking

As someone that distinctly identified with the "Social Green" classification drawn by Clapp and Dauvergne, I found Homer-Dixon's article to be both true and despairing. As a development student, it is hard to reconcile the fact that it is our duty to inform developing nations that they, in fact, cannot attempt to emulate our countries as models lest the planet be wholely subjected to doom and gloom - which therefore makes us hypocritical. As some of my peers have highlighted in their posts, however, it is significantly easier to talk about this apocalyptic foreboding than it is to discuss its remedy. Homer-Dixon's identification of the contradiction between the need and desire to develop and the realities of why that would hurt us is clearly stated. While Homer-Dixon does not offer much in the way of recommendations, I could make some simple suggestions that seem so easy yet will never come to fruition due to capitalist interests.

Stop making water bottles. These waste astronomical amounts of petroleum and natural gas, but the people that own these resources have a vested stake in making sure they are sold. Also, a ban on plastic bags would force people to either fare without them or really start remembering their reusable ones.

Halt the production of cars that don't receive a certain MPG efficiency. Right now it's not enough for the President to say that by 2025 cars must reach a certain amount of efficiency. 2015 is probably even too much leeway. Automobile companies must be pressured to adapt.

Curb marketing efforts. It's very ironic that tons of students sit across from our classroom studying in the Kogod School of Business learning how to manipulate our minds. We're surrounding by billboards, posters, images, and noises all telling us to 'consume, consume, consume,' but overconsumption has indisputably hurt our planet. It's shocking to consider how many pairs of shoes every person I know has despite the need for only one. The government could shape policy regarding how much advertising is allowed in public places, but then it risks being labeled fascistic for regulating business "heavily."

What Homer-Dixon doesn't take the time to do is inform us that these are all things we can personally do while hardly doing anything. This is similar to what was discussed last time, and I don't advocate this as an approach but part of a larger idea. In addition to not using water bottles, opting for a bike or the use of the bus instead of an automobile, and not buying that extra pair of jeans, people are actively thinking about these issues - which is how they will be solved. We need to get everyone to start collectively thinking about and working on solutions.