Even If Global Warming Isn’t a Threat

The debate continues as to whether human activity is likely to cause harmful and irreparable climate changes.  Until there is concrete, indisputable proof either way, it will continue to be deliberated.  It’s entirely pointless to waste so much time and energy arguing this issue though.

Let’s say that we conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that global warming is nonexistent, and the environmental movement receives a crushing blow as a result.  Then imagine that, 20 years from now, we realize we were wrong.  Not good. As Scooby Doo would say, “Ruh roh, Raggy!”

But what if we decide that global warming is a threat to humanity, make a committed, unified effort to fight that hazard, only to find out 20 years later that there was no serious threat in the first place?  Were our efforts wasted?  Nope.  Far from it.

If global warming doesn’t exist, yet we believe it does, our “blunder” will be a tremendous benefit to all who inhabit our planet.  Consider the following:

1.)  Energy Security:  Since our imported energy is composed entirely of dirty fossil fuels, transitioning to cleaner sources of energy necessarily means fixing our energy imbalance.  No longer will we be at the mercy of OPEC.  No longer will our nation instigate conflict in the Middle East to secure energy supplies.  Instead we will power our nation with the natural, renewable resources that we have in abundance.

2.) Less Environmental Destruction:  Conversationalists have been around since long before global warming was on anyone’s radar (like this dude), but their efforts have certainly been aided recently by broader environmental movements.  Conservation is now accepted as far deeper than simply preserving the beauty and diversity of natural ecosystems for future generations to enjoy.  Now we see conservation as vital to the well-being of the planet as a whole; to our very existence.  We’re discovering how interconnected we are with the entire living world.

3.) Less Human Injustice:  We remain in trade agreements that foster continued exploitation of the poor for the benefit of the rich, all the while creating more and more environmental damage.  Our corporations travel to remote corners of the globe, blatantly violating human rights (often of indigenous populations) in the ruthless exploitation of resources ranging from oil to cheap labor.  The way we treat each other and the way we treat our planet is highly correlated.  A movement to address one is almost invariably related to the other.

4.)  Stronger Communities:  We’re learning that it’s not sustainable (nor desirable) to live in the franchised, outsourced, isolated world we do.  Small-town America has been overrun by fast food chains (”do you want fries with that?”) and box stores, causing local businesses to fail.  Our inner cities struggle as suburbia continues to expand.  Our clothes come from China, many of our fruits and vegetables from Central America, and a good portion of our fuel from the Middle East.  More efficient, locally-based economies are not only better for the earth, but arguably much more rewarding as well.

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The movement to combat global warming is about far more than the possibility of rising temperatures.  It’s about bringing meaning back to our lives.  It’s about questioning our values (why again are we working so hard to buy more stuff we don’t need?).  It’s about reconnecting with our planet, with each other, and with ourselves.

Global warming or no, we have the chance to go down in history as either those who ushered in a new era of meaningful existence, or those who perpetuated the status quo and handed our successors an even bigger mess.  What’s there to debate?

Note: For my next Toastmasters speech (mid-September), I’m planning to give a speech similar to this.  My first two speeches have been more of the informative type; now I’d like to try my hand at a persuasive style. I’ll probably post it here when it’s done.

Paul Hawken Commencement Address

I’ve dropped Paul Hawken’s name here before, and I’d like to mention him again. Hawken is an environmental entrepreneur, writer, and activist. Lately I’ve been devouring his writing (currently, Blessed Unrest).

There is no shortage of negativity when it comes to the most daunting issues we face. Hawken is different though- he acknowledges how frightening our self-inflicted problems are, yet is cautiously optimistic in his outlook. He believes that humanity has the resources to overcome the challenges before us and thrive like never before. It’s refreshing to read such a perspective.

Hawken recently gave a commencement address to the graduating class of 2009 at the University of Portland. It’s a powerful message in print; I can’t imagine the profound effect it had in person. I think it’s certainly worth passing along.

Paul Hawken’s U. of Portland 2009 Commencement Address

Consumerism, Part 2: Effects

We’re led to believe that buying stuff is generally good. After all, we’re stimulating the economy when we do so. The GDP goes up, stocks go up, employment goes up, and economic progress is made. One might even feel patriotic by spending money, especially on domestically-originated goods or services (the American automakers have been playing that card big-time).

The above effects in and of themselves are certainly positive developments, but there is far more to the picture. Let’s consider a few less-desirable consequences of a material-crazed culture.

1.) Environmental destruction:

The American way of life has literally been destroying the planet. We’re addicted to big houses, big vehicles, big malls, and tons and tons of stuff. The resources to fill our wants don’t come from nowhere- we’ve been overexploiting the world’s resources to get them.

Everything about our current economic system, from destructive resource harvesting to the end waste products, is completely unsustainable. A big problem is that we don’t feel the harmful effects of our decisions. Most of us don’t personally see the clear-cutting of Amazon rainforests, the destruction of acid-rain, or the extinction of another native species. Sure we hear about such tragedies, but hearing and feeling are too completely different things; the former doesn’t often overcome our earthly desires.

We’ve all probably heard the following statistic-with roughly 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. consumes around a quarter of world’s energy. The figures for the solid waste we generate are also extremely disproportionate. The world does not have enough resources for many more people to live a similar lifestyle (or even to sustain the current imbalance for much longer). Unless we quickly move towards embracing a lifestyle that doesn’t trash the environment to fill our gluttonous ways, we are in serious, serious trouble.

I have Paul Hawken to thank for truly opening my eyes on this issue. I recently read “The Ecology of Commerce“, a book I will most definitely never forget. I can’t wait to get my hands on some more of his work, primarily “Natural Capitalism“. I couldn’t recommend Hawken’s writing enough.

2.) Financial health:

Consumerism has absolutely wreaked havoc upon our nation’s financial health , in large part leading to the recent financial crisis (I kind of touched on this here).

We largely set ourselves up for great unleveraging that began last year. Without a lick of common sense, we collectively chased houses, cars, clothes and hoards of other material goods without the means to actually pay for them. Since we didn’t have the money to pay for something right away, nor the patience to save up until we did, we just tapped into the great river of easy credit. Foreigners supplied much of this credit, allowing government and individuals alike to spend beyond our means.

The financial crisis was a major wake-up call- it was if someone rattled our cage and woke us from our dreamland.. The bill (the first installment of it anyway) arrived, and we stared at it in awe wondering how we could have been so foolish.

Thankfully Americans are doing much better nowadays. The personal savings rate is the highest its been anytime over the past decade- imagine that, Americans actually spending less than they earn! Businesses and individuals who provide repair services are thriving, because we’re fixing things rather than automatically throwing them away and buying new. People are flocking to libraries, thrift stores, Craigslist, garage sales, and bulk retailers. We have generally become more thrifty in the past year.

Of course, the big test of our newfound frugality will come when the economy starts to improve. When the nightly news talks about something other than economic Armageddon, will we maintain our sustainable financial ways? Or will we fail to learn from history once again and revert back to material-crazed lunatics?

I believe there’s a pretty strong negative correlation between excessive consumerism and our nation’s financial health. By placing such a high value on physical stuff and wanting it now, we’ve been borrowing against our future.

3. Quality of Life:

This one is definitely more subjective than the first two, but I think it’s still worthy of mention. It’s easy to lose a sense of what’s really important when we get caught up in the rat race of working harder and harder to fund our ever-growing material desires.

Does more stuff actually add more quality to our lives? To an extent, probably. But not to the extremes that we pursue it. Much of the stuff that we buy isn’t to aid in fulfilling a deep desire, or help us pursue something that we’re passionate about. Rather, it’s often a purchase made because of the influence of advertisers, as temporary ego boost, or to use as a status symbol.

Would replacing my reliable Civic with a brand-new ride increase the quality of my life? I’d be on a high for a little while, and the bells and whistles would undoubtedly be cool, but I would conclude that it really would not add more value to my life, so long as my Honda keeps running efficiently and reliably. I don’t have any deep desire that would be fulfilled by having a sweet ride.

I think I’ll keep my trusty Civic and instead continue saving money little by little to fund things like travel opportunities in the future. A trip to the UK would easily provide me personally with more lasting value than trying to appease materialistic impulses.

I don’t want to come across like I’m denouncing the ownership of physical goods altogether. Ever since coming home bruised and beaten after my first time on a snowboard, I knew I would enjoy having a board of my own. At some point in the future, I think I could make that purchase completely on my own accord. Likewise, if a person thoroughly enjoys and derives plenty of satisfaction from owning a sports-car, there’s nothing wrong with that (my vehicle example was about me personally, not a universal criticism of new-car purchases).

What I am trying to illustrate is this; if we act on impulse, let our ego affect how we spend, and succumb to outside influences, our financial habits likely aren’t congruent with who we are. That’s how we can spend years and years chasing money and stuff and yet become more and more unsatisfied as we acquire additional prizes.

Think about how many hundreds of billions of dollars Americans spend every year in a futile pursuit of consumer happiness. How much better off we would be if we dropped the influences of materialism and instead managed our money with 100% consciousness?

I think we would astound ourselves.

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