Here’s a question that merits some consideration: Does the concept of climate change absolve us, to some degree, of our global responsibility?

The reason I ask this question is that it seems that global warming/climate change has been associated with most every recent ill to befall humanity. Got a problem? Blame global warming! It’s the hip thing to do! In no way am I downplaying the impact that environmental issues have on our daily and future lives. I’m simply axing whether or not the rush to commodify sustainability is leaving a host of other issues comparatively neglected.

Did climate change lead to the genocides in Rwanda or Darfur? Nope. Colonialism, overpopulation and poor agricultural/industrial practices were among the factors that contributed and are still contributing to these horrors.

Did climate change create the HIV/AIDS epidemic? No, this one is largely Mama Nature fighting back against overpopulation and deforestation.

How about the massive desertification of China, the drying of rivers and seas all across the world? Again, human intervention via deforestation, overpopulation and, again, inane agricultural and industrial practices is the chief culprit.

The list goes on and on, but coming up with more examples serves little point. The three examples above happen with or without the first signs of climate change. I’m simply asking if you think that some of us are tempted to absolve ourselves of our guilt by pointing to global warming as the root cause of all problems, rather than face the fact that our personal consumption habits are having a massive impact not just on the future via contributing to environmental toxicity, but the now. We may shop differently, we may even eat organic thinking that this will lower the temperature of the surface of the earth, but we still shop and we still eat a lot. Changing from Safeway to Whole Foods isn’t exactly lifting much of a finger. Think about it – many of us agonize over decisions such as whether to trade the A4 in for a new Prius, thinking that such decisions are changing the world. These are “champage problems”, as my darling Andi likes to say — luxury issues that only the world’s elite face. In spending time wrestling with them, we ignore so very much.

On a somewhat related note, what of those who point to various government practices/policies which directly contribute to environmental problems and say, “Hey, I didn’t write that law, I didn’t pen that subsidy check. I signed the petition on MoveOn! This isn’t my fault!”? It’s what the Democrats seem to do when running for office against Republicans, pretending to be the “eco-Party” when really, just as with the Equal Rights movements, they’re merely slowly, grudgingly being compelled into action by their constituency and, more directly, by the forces of popular culture. We should not dismiss popular culture as ‘the lowest common denominator’ even though it does often elevate the worst of our culture, as it also allows terms like ‘sustainability’ and ‘eco-consciousness’ to become buzz words and it is this buzz that crafts a fair amount of legislation.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. Yes, I’m baiting a bit. . .just to get some dialogue going.

Tags: Ruminations

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