Going Green. Easy Doesn't Do It.

I'm a huge fan of Michael Maniates' article "Going Green? Easy Doesn't Do It" (in fact, I posted it to my Facebook on Thanksgiving 2007), because it addresses an issue that has been difficult to address in the modern environmental movement: the insufficiency of personal accountability in addressing major climate change issues. Through advertising, media and even scholarly pursuits, we have been told, as a society, that small lifestyle modifications could virtually halt the rising tide of climate change; making informed consumer choices and thinking briefly about the natural environment every so often has been touted as the route to absolution. Feeling bad about those poor polar bears? Pump up your tires! Wishing you could make a difference in the life of a climate refugee? Change a light bulb! Personal choice, an adulated saint in the Western religion of individuality, is seen by many as the end all and be all of environmental activism.

Maniates' basically throws this easy-does-it lifestyle attitude back in the faces of those who adore it. In his mind, the only way to viably address global warming is through a complete overhaul of our global mindset, a reevaluation of how we term growth.

One issue I have with the article is that while Maniates' certainly acknowledges the benefit of personally sustainable choices, he does so only saying they might help dent the effects climate changes. He does not, however, acknowledge the idea that leaders who advocate mandatory global lifestyle changes should already have experience with these changes in their own lives. Personal accountability is tantamount to honesty in politics; relevant cliches include "practice what you preach" and "you're the pot calling the kettle black."

I'm not sure Maniates is really criticizing the environmental movement itself, but actually being critical of the way most groups try to inspire action in the more mainstream public. Advocating green consumption and small choices is not the most effective way of dealing with climate change, but is not completely useless. These campaigns can inspire people who would not otherwise be thoughtful to action and I guess that's better than nothing(?).

Maniates' strongest point comes when he suggests that "Americans are at their best when they're struggling together, and sometimes with one another, toward difficult goals." I would like to make a slight modification to this and say that humans are at their best when they're struggling with and together. In Copenhagen and in the future, lets hope that this statement is holds true.