Governance

NOTE: It's probably easier to read my recent posts by starting at 'Last Minute'. Scroll down!

If we assume that humans, if left totally independent of superior control, will behave in such a way that is not sustainable then we must come up with a tool to alter the behaviour of the majority. This is a direction I am not quite sure will work but there is clear evidence that attempts are being made.

What I mean by control is essentially the laws and regulations (and perhaps cultures) of governments to control the behaviour of their respective populations. Carbon taxes try to put consumers off from polluting products, the push for a new international crime against peace known as ecocide and the use of national parks and green belts to preserve our natural surroundings are a few examples. There are many issues with trying to control the behaviour of individuals but it must be said that governmental control has worked in the past. For example, the majority of people in the UK do not want to commit crimes such as murder, because of the huge penalty it comes with. People in the UK will tend to drive under the speed limit because there are laws to punish them otherwise, showing that control can be quite easily achieved. Using money as a mechanism to deter people from unwanted behaviour sounds like a good plan, but not everybody is willing to obey. For example, carbon emission trading schemes have been implemented but companies have found ways to avoid them and it does not look like the majority of companies will turn completely carbon neutral because of such trading schemes. Other methods of control come against strong opposition, especially when we consider the demand for economic growth which unfortunately seems to contradict the demands for ecological stability. I consider this perhaps the most fundamental flaw in our current monetary system.

Whilst laws and monetary incentives have limitations, there is another form of control from governments that can help shift humanity towards sustainability. Education will play a vital role in the attitudes of young generations to ensure sustainability is embedded within the activities in society, and this is something the government has a direct control over by constructing national curriculum's. The other vital control a government has is helping to change the culture of a society. The use of the media I feel is extremely powerful but at the moment does not seem to be changing the actions of most individuals to become more sustainable. Similarly, a government can alter a culture through education and perhaps even through taxes/laws and regulations. A simple example of this is how different countries organize themselves and how different societies behave. For example, Amsterdam has electric and hybrid charge stations around its city (albeit quite rare) whereas most UK cities do not. The fact that some countries seem to display more sustainable practices than others suggests that a culture can change, and governments play a vital role in doing so.



The study of economics is vital when considering the use of control to ensure humanity follows a sustainable development path. Luckily, I am able to study this subject and hope to contribute to the solutions of our current global challenges. Thank you for reading.

Logic

I left my last post saying that sustainable development must be seen as the logical thing to do. Sustainable development is logic. And logic is what will define our actions. The idea of logic has come across me whilst I ponder our current global challenges, which has consequently led me to some philosophical and psychological knowledge. Most notably, Aristotle's views on logic (which I admit I do not know enough) and Freud's views of the impact of civilization on an individuals mindset. Similarly, psychology has also lead me to seek knowledge from conformity, cognitive processes and evolutionary changes (which I briefly mentioned in my post about our current zeitgeist). 

So, ironically I would like to add this philosophical comment: Why are we not committing to live completely sustainable lives? Who are we as humans and why do we behave in the way we do?

In my opinion, logic cannot be taught but is rather the ideology of our minds, collectively. For this reason, I feel that one of our major logical processes is simply to survive. The next is most probably to reproduce, and in being so we can see that we share the same logic as all animals on earth. So where does sustainability fit into our logic? This is perhaps mankind's greatest challenge, because in my opinion living a sustainable life is far down the list on many peoples mind and logical processes. 

Let me take our fundamental logical process and apply it to sustainability. Our desire to survive means that we will seek comfort and food to ensure we remain alive for as long as possible. If this trend is to continue, then theoretically we shall carry on providing ourselves with the 'best' comfort (i.e. housing, cars, clothing) and the best food (i.e. large, luxurious and tasty meals). Unfortunately, the best comforts and foods happen to cause devastating environmental damage and social inequalities. In fact, most of the worlds problems can be attributed to our two main logical processes, the desire to survive and the desire to reproduce. Unless our immediate survival is challenged, I fear we will not act. Unfortunately, when environmental disasters occur it will already be too late to act, posing an enormous challenge for humans to act now despite not being directly threatened. 

I am grateful that there are signs of greater intelligence and logic coming from certain individuals. We are beginning to see a bigger picture outside of our immediate proximity, and we are beginning to see that our ability to survive is enhanced by nature, and not just simply separate from nature. I believe that the intelligence of humanity will be stretched by the sustainability challenge, because it tackles the very core of animal nature. Whether this intelligence and logic will be displayed through a new generation, or simply by an 'awakening' is yet to be seen, but it must happen soon if sustainable development is to be achieved. 

Empowerment

Following on from my previous post 'Last Minute', I am going to outline some of my thoughts on the direction, condition and perhaps solutions for sustainability. This first thought concerns the idea of empowerment.

I was not always concerned with living a sustainable life, and thus I must assume that others have not always been concerned and may not ever be concerned. So how have I changed? That is a personal question that has many answers that I shall not explore at the moment, but I believe sustainable development and the idea of living a 'purer' life is empowering to individuals. Arguably the objective of an individuals life can be defined as the search of purity, understanding and purpose. So how can we link empowerment to sustainability?




By choosing to not drive a car which emits dangerous gases gives me purpose. To choose to become vegan in order to maintain agricultural land for staple foods in poorer countries and for the nourishment of fertile land can make an individual feel meaning in their life. To say no to the majority, and feel strong and confident that what they are doing is beneficial to humanity is empowering to an individual and will surely lead them to a happier life. So, in my opinion, empowering and giving people the happiness and satisfaction from knowing they are doing the right thing is something which is important when considering sustainable development. Empowerment can help society to become more sustainable and may even lead to other benefits, such as reduced crime, higher happiness ratings and increased communal spirit and productivity.

What this subject does reveal though is something quite worrying about the way our society has organised itself. As individuals, do we live our lives by what we know is right, or what we are told is right? How do we know what is right and wrong? And how do we ensure that sustainability, on all levels of society and for all individuals, is considered the right thing to do and the empowering thing to do?




Empowerment should be taught in schools and sustainability should not be seen as an alternative for development, but as the logical way in which we will develop. This leads me to my next post. Thank you for reading.

Last Minute

I tend to spend a lot of my time researching and absorbing information and viewpoints on sustainability, economics and our current ecological challenges. Whilst I have many viewpoints on the subject, I want to share one of my latest thoughts.

Communication has meant we can spread the word that we are facing major ecological challenges. People outside the field of science can understand that we are living unsustainable lives and politicians can use qualitative data to understand the real problems we face. So, with all the evidence and with a large majority of people suggesting that climate change is real and that change is needed, why have we not acted swiftly? It almost feels like humanity, in general, is not going to act straight away but rather wait until the very limit of environmental disaster until we change our ways. Why is this?

I feel that we are waiting until the last minute for a number of reasons. Firstly, perhaps it is how survival occurs in nature. We shall exploit the bounty of extracting natural resources and utilizing powerful machines until we absolutely have to change. In essence, we shall continue to be unsustainable for as long as we can get away with it. Examples could be seen in nature also, with animals eating certain prey until they absolutely have to resort to another one.

Secondly, we may be waiting until the last minute because we are in a situation  which is so unique to any animal to walk the earth. By being sustainable, we are asking people to sacrifice their current living conditions for something that they cannot see, feel or even be alive to witness. I feel that this second point delves into the logic of survival and the logic within the human brain which is not conscious. Throughout evolution and the survival of our species, our minds have only had to act in the now. We can only really act on what is in front of us, to ensure we stay alive.





My worry is that living a sustainable life can only be achieved in a number of ways. I think these solutions shall be explored in later posts. Thank you for reading.

Our Zeitgeist

Zeitgeist translates to spirit and time, in essence a word that captures the mood, attitudes, behaviour and beliefs of a certain civilization at a certain point in time. What is our zeitgeist? And what has to happen for a zeitgeist to change?

Any belief must be backed by evidence, which is why our current zeitgeist is quite easy to see. Our zeitgeist consists of consumerism, environmental damage, poverty and insecurity of energy and of peace. Whilst these signifiers connote much larger meanings and perhaps debatable logical reasoning, there is no doubt that the current epoch consists of overarching issues across all countries, defining the zeitgeist of people who have lived on this earth within the last 50 years.

Periods of time have had different problems, whether it be conquering neighbours during middle english or trying to survive during the time of the neanderthals. Our current zeitgeist is inescapable and one that is quite different to other notable periods of time. The actions we take now will not only affect other humans, but they will effect nature and wildlife as well.

The spirit of the time is often identified by the attitudes and actions of human beings. Whilst I cannot speak for all of humanity, I can tell of particular actions which I feel epitomize the current time we live in. Some examples:

 - We use money as a way to distribute resources, thus valuing everything we have gained from nature.
 - Humans will act so as to gain for themselves, and do not always act for the greater good. This is worringly true when looking at acting sustainably.
- We have seperated into countries and strict borders, making it harder to get people out of poverty.
- For some reason, we value products greater than the land we live in.

Everyday I see evidence of our current zeitgeist, of our collective moods and attitudes. What has to happen for them to change? How can we change the beliefs of many from one thing to another? How can we change the behaviour and values of many from one thing to another?

HOW CAN WE CHANGE OUR ZEITGEIST TO BECOME MORE SUSTAINABLE?

 

 

A change is needed to help correct many of our current problems. We cannot change if we are lead by those that got us these problems in the first place. We need a catalyst to help provide this change.

 

A thought that I shall leave you with: Are our current problems a result of the leadership from an ill-informed generation?