“The ecological crisis is very real, and it is getting worse at exponential speed. However, there is a silver lining on the current cloud of global gloom: The ecological crisis is interconnected with a global economic, political, social, and cultural crisis due to the fact the treadmill of production is failing to meet most people’s needs. The failure of the old paradigm of constant economic growth, combined with the reality of constitutional democracy in nations like the United States, will lead people to take the political actions and support the public policies necessary to build a sustainable world”.
We are now living in a time where the ecological crisis threatens our very existence, and these threats can be attributed as a direct impact of human actions. In Governing People as Members of the Earth Community, Cullinan pointed out that the government system we have today and the dominant culture of consumerism are not helping in alleviating these ecological problems. The author argued that most government policies are contributing to the degradation of the ecology which are the foundation of life and human existence. For example, large manufacturing companies are economically rewarded and are in fact encouraged, to extract and exploit natural resources. Those who have accumulated great profits and financial wealths from the extraction of resources are rewarded with prestige, power and status (Cullinan).
Culllinan’s Earth’s Jurisprudence
The governing policies, regulations and perspective of most governments are geared towards achieving and maintaining a sound economy, and not of the health and well being of the ecosystem and the world population as a whole. However, governments cannot turn a blind eye to the destruction that is happening to the world environment such as the global warming and the extinction of wildlife. In Cullinan’s point of view, there is a need for the government to change its perspective in terms of progress and development and this includes recognizing the rights of the earth community. Within this perspective is the Earth jurisprudence approach which promotes the ideal that government systems must work towards ensuring that humans act in a way that allows them to thrive without the need to degrade the very foundation of Earth life. This is a very idealistic approach, and it would be difficult to implement in in every country, much less in a global scale. Nevertheless, some countries may start gradually until such time that the benefits derived will lead to its wider acceptance.
David Orr’s Government Change and Literacy
In David Orr’s foreword to the State of the World, he implied about the imbalance of most government’s concentration. Most government’s, particularly the US, has focused on wars and excessive military spending, instead of dedicating these efforts to “public welfare, health, education, environment, and infrastructure” (Orr, xix). This system of societal framework resulted in the diminished public capacity to deal with public issues, while there is an increased power bestowed on the private sectors and institutions. The government’s decreased concern on more important issues such as the ecological problems resulted in the destruction of the environment. In Orr’s point of view, there are three possibilities that can be resorted to in order to mitigate the destruction of the environment. First is the avoidance of the most horrible event that could happen, but this would require a sharp reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Second, there is a need “to reform the global economy to internalize its full costs and fairly distribute benefits, costs, and risks within and between generations” (Orr, xxi). The third option is the need for us to change our perspective about how we perceive our relationship with the future generations. Orr suggested the need for less reliance on markets because market mechanism cannot be relied upon to direct the human fate and the environment. Further, there is a need to strengthen the government as agile and accountable government “have the capacity to respond at the scale necessary to effect changes appropriate to the long term emergency” (Orr, xxii).
However, in order to achieve and implement the needed changes in the society, the government and the environment, there is a need for all to play their part. There is a need for the people to be educated, as an effective government requires “an alert, informed, ecologically literate, thoughtful, and empathic citizenry” (Orr, xxiii). It is not about the literal change in government agencies, but more so on the implementation of a better government system by eradicating corruption and ignorance. Again, Orr’s ideals requires the cooperation of the different societal sectors, as the government alone cannot resolve all issues without the aid of a well-informed and concerned citizenry.
Speth On Government Intervention
Brown’s Concept of Earth Restoration and Population Stabilization
In his The World on the Edge, Lester Brown made readers become aware of the urgency of the ecological crisis such as deteriorating harvest, massive soil erosion, climate change and food shortage among others. The author pointed out the cause of the environmental crisis: “The vested interests of the fossil fuel and defense industries in maintaining the status quo are strong” (Brown, xii). The escalating need of many industries to use fossil fuels resulted in the exploitation of natural environments in search for this commodity. Further, there is also the problem on over population, which, according to the author may be resolved by helping the natural support system of governments.
Brown discussed how earlier civilizations were able to contain many environmental crises such deforestation, in contrast to the people of the 21st century who were not only able to solve these problems, but instead caused further reinforcement of these destructions. The solution to the increasing ecological problem, as Brown proposed in the last five chapters of his book, are: a) building an energy-efficient global economy, b) harnessing wind, solar, and geothermal energy, c) restoring the economy’s natural support system, d) eradicating poverty, stabilizing population and rescuing failing states (Brown, 95-164). However, just like the proposal of the authors discussed in this paper, the Brown’s proposal is too complex that its implementation may not be economically sustainable. For example, the restoration of the developing country’s natural system may require an enormous cash outlay, and that there might not be a sufficient source of funds for this expenditure.
Information Dissemination and Economic Planning
“Just because we cannot imagine our world degenerating into a climatic hell does not mean that it can’t happen” (Phillip & Tyler). Despite people’s opinion that the worst may not happen to our planet, scientific evidence showed that the earth is moving towards gradual destruction. In an effort to save the planet and the foundation of human existence, many environmental groups are trying to environmental saving measures urban planning and advocating of other environmental friendly practices. However, these are not enough to counter “the exponential increase in global industrial pollution that is simultaneously occurring” (Phillip & Tyler).
Accordingly, Phillip and Tyler suggested that the initial step to save the planet is giving out of crucial information and the promotion of sophisticated programs that aims to prevent disasters. There is also a need for people to be involved in electoral politics, as this is one way to prevent disaster. Involvement in electoral politics means transforming the Democratic Party into a potent transformational force that will advocate for the restoration and protection of the environment. However, while the authors’ proposals are sound enough, it would be difficult to implement political transformation because of the need for an overwhelming support from the citizenry. This goes hand in hand with the Orr’s proposal on literary, where the country must have an ecologically literate citizenry to propel the government to work towards environmental friendly programs.
Works Cited
Brown, Lester. The World on Edge. W.W. Norton & Company, 2011. Print.
Cullinan, Cormac. "Governing People as Members of the Earth Community." State of the World. N.p., 2014. Print.
Orr, David. State of the World 2014: Governing for Sustainability. N.p., 2014. Print.
Speth, James. The Bridge at the Edge of the World. Yale University Press, 2008. Print.
