Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Food
I agree with Hilary that, most likely, the food we eat out has the greatest environmental impact. We see the costs that when we make our own food, and accepting it is part of the cooking process. Does the environment even play a part in our decision making when going out? I’m a huge fan of Todai Sushi Buffet...but buffets can’t be good for the environment. That sad, the General Tso’s Chicken from Mr. Chen’s Organic Chinese food is amazingly tasty.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Hmmm....
Saturday, February 23, 2008
The Food I Eat
Before taking the ecological footprint quiz, I really hadn’t thought about the environment when buying food. I just thought that the big changes I was making toward the environment were with transportation. Yet, after taking the quiz, I’ve definitely thought about it a lot more. Sadly, because its winter and because we live in
When I think about the environment I think about how far food has traveled so that it can be in my local grocery store. I probably think about this process more when buying produce than other food items. I don’t really eat much meat, but I do eat some fish, and after hearing about fisheries being over fished I have contemplated this issue as well. At the same time, being a vegetarian for so many years, I find that it is important for me to eat chicken or fish when I can because it is really important for me to get protein, so I find that this is somewhat of a dilemma with what positive choice I should make (to be healthy, or to help the environment in some small way). In the last few days the food I ate that probably has the greatest environmental impact is probably the food I ate from going out to eat.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
No Other Option
Dan also brings in a good point about how, up until now, technology has mostly degraded the environment even more. Personally, I blame a lot of our problems on the Industrial Revolution so many years ago; but, how else were humans to evolve? We are where we are right now because of it and I think that's a good thing. The development of CFCs provides us with another example of how technology has further damaged our planet. The answer to this problem was the creation of international laws about CFC usage. This worked out surprisingly well, but I doubt whether we can rely on international agreements to solve the rest of our environmental problems.
Conclusively, I believe that because of the way our society is set up, we have no option but to rely on technology to save us. Do I think this is the best answer? No, probably not because in creating new technology, we are creating new waste. But until the next Einstein is born, I don't see any other option.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Technology
Technology is neither the absolute holy grail nor the destruction of humanity. It just is, and there is not that much we can do but accept that.
Technology is only a manifestation of our will. If we do end up being “saved”, then it will be because humanity yearns to be.
Small Steps Are Better Than No Steps
I realize all this sounds like I'm saying technology is bad, but i still believe in it, and I suppose thats partly true. However, technology has developed to a level that it cannot all fall under one all-encompassing category. The chainsaw, machine gun, i-phone and reusable energy have virtually nothing in common other than that they were all at one time technological innovations. There is lots of harmful technology but there is an increasing amount of good technologies that are helping the developed world 'clean up their acts' (granted, not enough, but still). One thing that studying at AU has made me realize is that man's greed and self-interest can cause unimaginable damage, but man's intelligence and imagination (to use a word from class) can produce even more amazing ideas and advancements. I have yet to read or see anything that has deferred me from the idea that environmental solutions and the global economy are going to have to find a way to work together not against each other. Aside from a large scale disaster (which at this rate is not out of the question) trying to localize our economy that is increasingly and actively becoming global is not feasible. There is a lot of talk and complaining about a lack of solutions, but so far the only place i see any real improvements being made is in the area of technology, positive technology. I believe there is a way to provide profitable incentives to persuade governments and corporations that going 'green' can be good for them as well as for the world and i see this happening through positive technologies.
I will be the first to admit that my knowledge in the area is limited and I may be overly optomistic, perhaps to a counter-productive extent, and perhaps even lacking in my own imagination when it comes to the state of the economy, yet i see the development of positive technologies as the most viable route to feasible solutions. We must divide 'technology' into categories of positive and negative when it comes the environment, once that happens environmentalists can stop being divided on this issue and stop fighting against the technologies that are helping. Even if you don't believe that technology can save us, there are technologies that are helping, and small steps are better than no steps.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Question #4 - Technology
For my journal entry, I am going to focus just on the first group of questions – on whether or not technology will save us. I personally believe that if something is going to save us, technology will be a part of it. For our world to get better humans either need to go back to a more simplistic way of living (go backwards), or go towards the future. Going towards the future would mean that technological advances would have to help us. I think that humans, specifically Americans, like their lifestyle. I think that telling someone that they need to resort back to a way of living 200-300 years ago would result in some pretty nasty responses. Americans like to find new and better ways of doing things, they do not give up on a current system and return to a older one. However, it is possible that they might get rid of their current situation (which is completely destroying the environment) because something better and more efficient has come along. This is why I think that not only technology will save up, but that it has to save us. In environmental terms this means a few things. One, technology will have to improve in such a way that it betters our environment. It also has to be done in such a way that affluence or consumption does not continue to increase. Furthermore, technology cannot wipe out living species or take away more of natural resources, but it should work to protect those things. Humans must also make sure that they are in “control,” because we do not want future technology removing the capability for humans to think or act. Technology must be used as a tool to help steer the world in the right direction, but it must be done strategically and have its limitations.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Week 4
Are We Doing Enough?
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Week 4
I initially agreed and was moved by this article. Mentions of Martin Luther King Jr. and Paul Revere elicited that initial reaction, and as a student, simplicity has bad connotations. There are plenty of good points in this article, but the books we have read in this class are all available publicly. Environmental organizations publish on a wide range of complex policies. Maniates mentions the Live Earth concert addressing simple solutions; it was a concert series, not a symposium or conference!
“We’re ready for frank talk about how we best confront...the planetary emergency before us.” Academics and environmentalists all agree that we need to reduce carbon emissions, but if people who are familiar with the environmental literature can’t figure out the best way to do this, how is the common man? Analysis of a recent journal article in Science that declared biofuels to be more environmentally dangerous than fossil fuels was in The Washington Post and all major news papers. The environment debate is public. There is no giant conspiracy to keep things easy. Information is available, and will be consumed, by the people that are interested and will act on it.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Environmental Problems are Human Problems
He refers in his piece to great leaders who inspired people to make tough choices that changed the world: Martin Luther King Jr., Paul Revere and Franklin Roosevelt. However there is a major flaw when it comes to comparing our environmental crisis to the Revolutionary War, Civil Rights movement or fighting facism. All these battles had to do with human rights and while I would absolutely agree that environmental problems are human problems because, as we have discussed in class, humans are inherently connected to this planet we inhabit, we have also discussed how in general humans have seperated themselves, placed themselves above, the issues of the planet. When it comes to protecting their nation or their rights or their families or their ideals many people are still willing to make hard choices and take strong action, but when it comes to protecting their planet it is much harder to inspire the kind of passion that is necessary for taking the hard steps towards change. It's undoubtedly a sad fact, but i believe that it is true. Even with all the books he mentioned about the 'easy' steps, when you look around many have not even taken these small steps so how can you assume that these people will care enough to take the large ones.
On the brighter side, awareness is being spread and more and more people are acknowledging the huge environmental problems that lie at our doorstep. I do not deny that people are capable of the revolutionary change that is needed to save our planet, but it will not be as easy to get people involved in the push for environmental change as it is to get them involved in issues of human rights (not at all to imply that those are easy fights, but hopefully you get what i mean.) It will take more widespread acknowledgement of the problems, great leaders and frankly, a new 'spin' to make people realize that environmental issues are human issues and they are our issues to inspire people to protect their planet with the same fervor they would protect their country with.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Week 2
Many of Barrack Obama’s proposals coincide with the market liberal’s, even if he does put much of the focus on government spending. One thing I did notice was the focus on ethanol. While the numbers vary, every debate on the virtues of ethanol for fuel raises the issue that just one tank full of ethanol could contain as many calories needed to feed a person for almost a year. Private industry hasn’t found the best solutions to the problems in the environment, but that doesn’t mean the government knows best.
Obama certainly shows much more of an effort into describing his environmental stance, but I don’t know if any of the candidates make sense. And keeping in mind that the President certainly has power in the U.S. Environmental policies, so does Congress. The environmental issues that are facing this country will transform over the next 8 years; new issues will come up, and some might fade away. So which candidate do I trust to react to these issues with appropriate solutions? No idea...
Monday, February 4, 2008
Week 3- Political Candidates
The two candidates I chose are Barack Obama and John McCain. I first argue that Barack is a market liberal. His plan is highly focused on the economy. This can be seen through his market based cap-and-trade system by using generated revenue to help develop clean energy or job training for more environmentally-friendly jobs. He also wants to invest about $150 billion dollars in clean energy. Market liberals also think that technology and science can help solve environmental problems, and Obama wants to double funding for scientific research and cleaner technologies.
John McCain is also a market liberal. On his website it even says, “Our economic prospects depend greatly upon the sustainable use of ample and unspoiled natural resources. A clean and healthy environment is well served by a strong economy” (http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/65bd0fbe-737b-4851-a7e7-d9a37cb278db.htm). Thus, it is obvious to me that he is a market liberal, considering that he fits the description exactly.
It is interesting that I have put the two candidates into the same category. In this sense, the category does not help me make any sense of the differences between the candidates. However, by looking at their actual policy recommendations and plans one is able to notice clear differences. For example, it is clear to me that Barack Obama is taking on more to protect the environment because he has a page full of plans and ideas for how to better to protect the environment—not to mention at the top of the page he mentions that it is “one of the greatest moral challenges of our generation” (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/). Yet, John McCain does actually address any set plans on his website. All he mentions is that he is concerned about the issue but offers no specific solutions.
What Environmental Problem? Oh, you must mean our foreign oil security problem...
I don't really see these categories as being all that helpful for categorizing candidates. The categories make sense and definitley have there uses, but it doesn't really make the candidate's policies any clearer for me personally. However, I can see how some might find these categories useful to simplify the candidates views and organize them in their mind.
Of Clinton and Romney I think its very clear that Clinton has a better policy plan. First of all because she acknowledges the problem and I believe the institutional approach is a very reasonable one. Governments are going to have to get increasingly involved and providing regulations, research funding and commitments is a far more reasonable start than Romney's plan of 'there's some kind of energy crisis going on, so we should drill up our own nature, and cause more problems, to find more oil so that we don't need Russia and the Middle East anymore'. Romeny has a energy plan, not an environmental plan, and a bad one at that, so in this case Clinton definitley has the better policy for adressing environmental issues.