Michael Pollan makes the case that when it comes to climate change, individual choices do matter. But the reasons why might surprise you.
In Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, Pollan asks a critical question: does it matter if he changes his life to address climate change by going “green”, given the humble scale of one person’s effort and the existence of “evil twins” in places like China who offset improvements with increased consumption and worsening pollution?:
Whatever we can do as individuals to change the way we live at this suddenly very late date does seem utterly inadequate to the challenge. It’s hard to argue with Michael Specter, in a recent New Yorker piece on carbon footprints, when he says: “Personal choices, no matter how virtuous [N.B.!], cannot do enough. It will also take laws and money.” So it will.
So, as Pollan asks: why bother?
Why? Because the climate-change crisis is at its very bottom a crisis of lifestyle — of character, even. The Big Problem is nothing more or less than the sum total of countless little everyday choices, most of them made by us (consumer spending represents 70 percent of our economy), and most of the rest of them made in the name of our needs and desires and preferences.
I like this. Risking ridicule, Pollan proposes that what we’re facing involves near anachronisms in a postmodern pop culture wasteland of forced irony, kitsch and techno-fetishism: character and virtue.
Virtue?
That’s right. Pollan suggests this climate change crisis of character might be addressed by adopting a sense of virtue, ethical principles for how each and every one of us does right by the planet’s ecosystem. Even in the face of doubt, derision and hopelessness about one’s ability to make a difference.
And when Pollan turns to personal vs. “other” change, he gets to the deeper question: why are so few of us willing to act, instead depending on politics and technology to solve the problem for us? Or more bluntly, hoping that governments and technology will solve it? Pollan says:
For us to wait for legislation or technology to solve the problem of how we’re living our lives suggests we’re not really serious about changing — something our politicians cannot fail to notice. They will not move until we do. Indeed, to look to leaders and experts, to laws and money and grand schemes, to save us from our predicament represents precisely the sort of thinking — passive, delegated, dependent for solutions on specialists — that helped get us into this mess in the first place. It’s hard to believe that the same sort of thinking could now get us out of it.
And buried there at the end is what many believe to be a critical piece of the puzzle: specialization. We give over power and depend chiefly–often utterly–on “specialists” to solve the problems: politicians, lawmakers, scientists, inventors, corporations.
The result? An odd practice of helplessness that Pollan quickly points out was described aptly by Wendell Berry 30 years ago:
He [Berry] argued that the environmental crisis of the 1970s — an era innocent of climate change; what we would give to have back that environmental crisis! — was at its heart a crisis of character and would have to be addressed first at that level: at home, as it were. He was impatient with people who wrote checks to environmental organizations while thoughtlessly squandering fossil fuel in their everyday lives — the 1970s equivalent of people buying carbon offsets to atone for their Tahoes and Durangos. Nothing was likely to change until we healed the “split between what we think and what we do.”
Today, we might call that cognitive dissonance. But more about Berry:
For Berry, the “why bother” question came down to a moral imperative: “Once our personal connection to what is wrong becomes clear, then we have to choose: we can go on as before, recognizing our dishonesty and living with it the best we can, or we can begin the effort to change the way we think and live.”
For Berry, the deep problem standing behind all the other problems of industrial civilization is “specialization,” which he regards as the “disease of the modern character.” … Virtually all of our needs and desires we delegate to specialists of one kind or another — our meals to agribusiness, health to the doctor, education to the teacher, entertainment to the media, care for the environment to the environmentalist, political action to the politician.
Economists call this a “division of labor”, and Pollan reminds us that that division has led to modern civilization with all its benefits–the computer he uses to compose his essay, for example. Then why is specialization so bad? Pollan nails it:
…This same division of labor obscures the lines of connection — and responsibility — linking our everyday acts to their real-world consequences, making it easy for me to overlook the coal-fired power plant that is lighting my screen, or the mountaintop in Kentucky that had to be destroyed to provide the coal to that plant, or the streams running crimson with heavy metals as a result.
I talk about this part often on Ecohuman–the abstraction of our daily lives (and selves) away from the consequences of our choices, away from our ecology, from other people, from our local, physical community.
So, then, how did we end up living this abstract, dependent, deeply disconnected modern life of convenience? Two words–cheap energy:
Cheap fossil fuel allows us to pay distant others to process our food for us, to entertain us and to (try to) solve our problems, with the result that there is very little we know how to accomplish for ourselves. Think for a moment of all the things you suddenly need to do for yourself when the power goes out — up to and including entertaining yourself. Think, too, about how a power failure causes your neighbors — your community — to suddenly loom so much larger in your life.
Cheap energy allowed us to leapfrog community [italics mine] by making it possible to sell our specialty over great distances as well as summon into our lives the specialties of countless distant others.
Wendell Berry called this “cheap-energy mind”:
The “cheap-energy mind”…is the mind that asks, “Why bother?” because it is helpless to imagine — much less attempt — a different sort of life, one less divided, less reliant.
Since the cheap-energy mind translates everything into money, its proxy, it prefers to put its faith in market-based solutions — carbon taxes and pollution-trading schemes. If we could just get the incentives right, it believes, the economy will properly value everything that matters and nudge our self-interest down the proper channels. The best we can hope for is a greener version of the old invisible hand. Visible hands it has no use for.
But in a way, I believe Pollan says it even better:
Specialists ourselves, we can no longer imagine anyone but an expert, or anything but a new technology or law, solving our problems. Al Gore asks us to change the light bulbs because he probably can’t imagine us doing anything much more challenging, like, say, growing some portion of our own food. We can’t imagine it, either, which is probably why we prefer to cross our fingers and talk about the promise of ethanol and nuclear power — new liquids and electrons to power the same old cars and houses and lives.
Then what do we do? All become “generalists”? No, that’s not quite what Pollan’s saying, I don’t think. Rather, he’s saying take a step towards personal responsibility, towards developing a different character, virtuous behavior that increases self-reliance and strengthens the connection between us and the climate changing consequences of our choices. Pollan’s pragmatic advice on how to start changing our “cheap-energy mind”? Plant a garden:
You begin to see that growing even a little of your own food is, as Wendell Berry pointed out 30 years ago, one of those solutions that, instead of begetting a new set of problems — the way “solutions” like ethanol or nuclear power inevitably do — actually beget other solutions, and not only of the kind that save carbon.
Still more valuable are the habits of mind that growing a little of your own food can yield. You quickly learn that you need not be dependent on specialists to provide for yourself — that your body is still good for something and may actually be enlisted in its own support.
…Chances are, your garden will re-engage you with your neighbors, for you will have produce to give away and the need to borrow their tools. You will have reduced the power of the cheap-energy mind by personally overcoming its most debilitating weakness: its helplessness and the fact that it can’t do much of anything that doesn’t involve division or subtraction.
As I pause to look out the window at our rain barrels and our six large garden beds full of seed and our hopes for a good harvest, I feel Pollan is right. Our garden literally binds us closer to our place, our neighborhood, the weather…and to consequences. I feel we have found, as Pollan writes, “ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.”
4 responses so far ↓
1 Karen // Apr 21, 2008 at 5:54 pm
This reminds me of the “Victory Gardens” of England during W.W. II. Perhaps you and I can call our garden beds “Virtuous Gardens”. I’ll have to think about what to call the rainbarrels.
“Trickle-down”? Hmm.
2 » Cheap Energy, Growing Gardens, Green Virtue // Apr 21, 2008 at 6:41 pm
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3 Genetically Modified Crops Produce Less, Not More // Apr 22, 2008 at 8:13 am
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4 elme // Apr 26, 2008 at 2:37 pm
(Foreword, especially for THIS ECOBlog,
For what it’s worth … my test scores indicate that I am a good Generalist; top 3% in Sociology/Construct of World … the Whole Enchilada)
Headline: Obama says YES to Cheney
Foreword: I wrote the following comments about an hour before I heard Olberman report that Rush Limbaugh was promoting on his website: RIOTS at the Democratic Convention in Denver
We all know the ECONOMY is the #1 ISSUE in this campaign season.
Since ENERGY is an important basis of economics our nation’s Energy Policy is
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT … as we have all seen with the increasing cost of FUEL and FOOD engendered by the rise in Oil Prices.
The Mainstream Media has failed to address or air the 3 Presidential candidates’ ENERGY POLICIES. (Have YOU heard anything about The Cheney Energy Bill?)
It was passed in 2005 … while the Republicans still had control of Congress. Obama Voted FOR the Cheney Energy Bill. McCain Voted FOR it.
Clinton Voted AGAINST it.
Most of us, upon hearing of the EXISTENCE of a CHENEY Energy Bill would…assume it to be…NOT in the best interests of our nation or any of us Not Wealthy humans…i.e. some kind of RIPOFF of the American taxpaying public.
It would also seems strikingly ODD tthat Obama,
appearing to be a very LIBERAL DEMOCRAT, Voted FOR The Cheney Energy Bill.
Clinton has brought up Obama’s YES to Cheney VOTE several times during the televised debates. YET…the News People asking the debate questions
never followup by asking Obama: WHY DID YOU VOTE FOR THE CHENEY ENERGY BILL?. They Never followup by asking: What IS the Cheney Energy Bill about?
It is by far One of the most IMPORTANT ISSUES
of our time, but the “mainstream media” just doesn’t cover it. WHAT is the reason for the mainstream media’s SILENCE on an ISSUE so critically important to our future?
I asked myself that question and went looking for the answer. This iswhat I found:
GE owns NBC & MSNBC. Westinghouse owns CBS. GE is the 2nd largest corporation on the planet: BOTH corporations have, for many generations, pumped vast quantities of PRODUCT … $ADVERTISING Dollars…into all forms of media.
GE and Westinghouse are the Major Players in the nuclear industry. An industry that was set to suffer a Slow DEATH…UNTIL…the Cheney Energy
Bill gave it “a new lease on life”. NO new nukes have been built in the U.S for the past 30 years because the banks would not loan money to build them - too risky.
The Cheney Energy Bill Solved That Problem For The Nuke Industry by GUARANTEEING TAXPAYER Payback of any of the nuke loans that default.
(Given that the Congressional Budget Office rated the risk of default at 50%, or greater …
do you think it was GOOD JUDGMENT for Obama to vote FOR it?)
(Given the already substantial economic damage done by the SubPrime mortgage meltdown -what amount of economic damage are we LIKELY to suffer from SubPrime: Not Credit Worthy - lending - to the nuke industry/compounded by the fact that US TAXPAYERS would PAY the full cost of a SUBPRIME Nuke Lending meltdown?)
The nuke industry’s plans to build 29 new nuclear power plants are already far advanced. Licensing hearings for the first few nuke plants have already been scheduled.
Second Level Major Players in the Nuke Industry:
Excelon Corp. of Illinois - one of Obama’s largest campaign contributors since his earliest days in politics - biggest nuke operator on the planet;
they own the nukes in Illinois; they own Con-Ed of New York.
Entergy - Owns many utilities in several Southern states.
3 Consortiums of other nuke industry players.
MSNBC & NBC have become more FAUX than FOX, the original Faux “news”. All day everyday since last October when the campaign coverage
began … have seen on MSNBC & NBC…ALL their “reporters” and “news analysts” -(from Joe Scarborough and Mika Berzinski on “Morning Joe”- to Chris Matthews on “Hardball” in the afternoon- to Keith Olbermann in the evening BLATANTLY promoting Pro-Obama PROPAGANDA/ Slamming & smeaaring the Clintons…everyday all day long.
I’m not the only one who noticed. Millions of people noticed and posted their complaints
about it on the internet. Last night Bill O’reilly on Fox news said - “MSNBC has become
the Obama Network”.
(I call MSNBC/NBC — BOP-N –Barack Obama Propaganda Networks.)
In response to…(unspecified…& unreported complaints about “media bias” against the Clintons, Howard Fineman, TIME magazine & MSNBC “News analyst”—whined to Chris Matthews on “Hardball” last week: Gov. Rendell said to me - “you’re from the Obama Network”
-they shouldn’t be complaining about US being biased against the Clintons WE’re Journalists!
WE just report the facts. (Pathetic … Fineman
…trying… to convince himself he’s not
-exactly what he is- a highly paid Propaganda Pusher.)
Obama’s 20 year history in politics arose from Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.
The Rezko trial involves charges of extortion, fraud, money laundering, kickbacks, bribes; CRIMES
& Political CORRUPTION (at every level of government City, County, State, National) involving: allegedly,
Rezko, Mayor Daley, Governor Blagojevich, et al for crimes committed in the U.S.; and involving internationally 3 Arabic men: Rezko, Auichi, Alsammarae - for crimes allegedly committed in massive international frauds.
(Auichi was convicted a few years ago in the French Courts of massive fraud/robbery/looting involving the French ELF petroleum company and the U.N. Oil for Food Program. Alsammarae was convicted in the Iraqi Courts of looting the Iraq electricity grid while he was the Iraqi Minister of Electricity …under Bush-Cheney’s Coalition Provisional Authority… Rezko is accused of being Alsammarae’s partner in that looting.
The mainstream media is airing…very little coverage…of the Rezko -City, County, State, National, and International Fraud/Looting trial.
For example, the Federal Prosecution’s main witness testifed last week that Obama and his wife DID Attend a party thrown by Rezko at Rezko’s Chicago mansion for his guest of honor AUICHI. Obama has previously stated that he: doesn’t remember meeting Auichi. WHY is the mainstream media (TV, in particular) not covering the Rezko trial; has NOT Asked Obama if he DID or DID Not attend that party? Has NOT asked Michelle Obama if she did attend that party?
The conclusion I have reached -from those and many other FACTS I have gathered from my impartial search is:
GE, et. al; the Corrupt Corporate “establishment”
-is running Obama and McCain for President
because they plan to reap $BILLIONS in RISK-FREE Profits from building 29 new nuclear power plants AND $BILLIONS more in RISK-FREE profits—For The NEXT 30-40 Years—from the HIGHER ELECTRICITY RATES produced by building nuke plants. i.e. The NEXT Big Dick Cheney MONOPOLY POWER
—ENERGY RIPOFF—-
just…waiting in the wings…for Obama or McCain to get elected.
Currently, the mainstream media is PUSHING Obama for President and holding a lid on the BAD NEWS about him. If and when it reaches a point where Obama does not get the nomination the corporate-controlled media will drop him and start pumping out PRO-McCain Propaganda.
GE, Cheney, et al prefer it to be a NO-RISK,
Win-Win situation (for Them) Presidential election WITH Obama vs. McCain. The Media is NOW pumping out: the contest is Over, Obama’s the Winner; the Nomination BETTER NOT get “stolen” from Obama or there’ll be HELL to Pay and the Democrat candidate will lose in November.
The Obama campaign was caught red-handed playing the race card to win the South Carolina primary
…in a 4 page internal Obama campaign Memo published online by the Huffington Post…but the Media went right on PUSHING the BIG LIE -they blamed the Clintons. Obama has repeatedly played the race card every time he is in danger of losing.
There are indications online that Obama: used MOBS of poor black people cramming into small govt. offices in Chicago during his “organizing” days to get some of the “changes” he wanted; that Code Pink and a group named ReCreate ‘68 are threatening to mass mobs of 50,000 in Denver to protest/incite riots at the Democratic Convention IF Obama does not get the nomination. Obama may have connections to the groups threatenting HELL to pay at the convention if he doesn’t get the nomination… that could be covered by … plausible deniability.
Having already…recklessly, despicably, dangerously, played the race card repeatedly & supposing…Obama does have connections with/control of…extremist left wing groups and mobs…wouldn’t electing him President be likely get us -WORSE THAN BUSH- Step 2 in CorporateNazi CONTROL of US… incitement of interracial strife for purposes of Political Control …. incitement of left-wing extremists/riots for purposes of Political CONTROL?
…. with the MEDIA aiding, abetting, lying and distorting …Reality…. just like they are doing now.
Things that don’t add up:
If Clinton is “the establishment” candidate - Why is her campaign constantly running out of money
while Obama has been rolling in CASH thruout the campaign?
The media tries to cover that by saying:
well…her wealthy contributors have already given the maximum amount the law allows -they can’t contribute anymore funds. That’s ridiculous. The “establishment” has enough cash to hire all the bundlers they need to go out and rustle up more cash from individuals employed at ALL Their Corporations, and from any other source. The media continues to PUSH the BIG LIE that Obama does not accept money from Lobbyists/Corporations (via individuals employed by them) /Wall Street/Oil/Drug Companies/Insurance Industry)
If Clinton is the “establishment” candidate …. WHY isn’t the corporate-controlled MEDIA PUSHING her for President?
Obama’s got the money. He’s got the MEDIA Propaganda. He’s the establishment candidate.
What’s wrong with building 29 nuclear power plants?
Hillary Clinton: nuclear can be considered in the future IF they can make it CHEAPER and find a way to safely and permanently dispose of the nuclear waste.
Nuke waste/nuke waste dumps have been a steadily deepening nightmare for the past 50 years. (Google: Hanford WA nuclear waste dump; Rocky Flats CO plutonium, Barnwell South Carolina groundwater nuclear waste dump.
ALL the nuke waste dumps are CLOSED. Nuke waste has been stored ON-SITE at the nuke plants for the past several DECADES; providing several hundred terrorist targets vulnerable to devastating consequences from just ONE RPG.
The nuclear industry is already running a modicum of Pro-Nuke Propaganda Ads. They have bought up a few “environmentalists” & manufactured a lot more - for the LAUNCH of their upcoming NUKE PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN (The Nukes are GREEN & CLEAN Ad Campaign)-that will start- right after the November Prersidential election.
What can YOU do about it? Copy & Paste this message -email it to everyone on your email list. Google: “North Carolina blogs politics” and post it everywhere you can -post it on Newspaper, TV, and radio blogs. Do the SAME for all the upcoming PRIMARY STATES…as far in advance of the Primary Date as you can.
“Getting off coal to go nuclear is like giving up cigarettes to take up smoking crack” (I wish I knew where I read that quote so I could give credit to the author of it.)
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