In "Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene" Roy Scranton highlights his experience as a soldier in Iraq just after the 2003 invasion by the United States. The United States demolished a city of nearly six million people. Infrastructure had collapsed, and the government was following suit. The area was quickly being divided by criminals, and danger was ever present. The city itself was a place of complete desolation.
The author however did not know that he was looking into the future. One lacking food, government, or infrastructure. One example close to home brought up by the author is the devastation caused after hurricane Katrina.
If climate change is not stifled, temperatures will rise an average of seven degrees, melting ice caps and causing sea levels to rise 10 feet within the next 100 years. With these changing temperatures, effects on animal life, agriculture, and shipping patterns will certainly occur. All of these are essential to our existence as humans. People educated on issues of climate change know that generally, we cannot solve climate change by one person changing every day tasks. It is global legislation, education, and motivation that are the only things that can save humanity. Industrialization and the toxicity of capitalism have been major catalysts for this, but we as voters have the power to elect officials as elements of change. Ultimately, the blame falls on the shoulders of the negligent human kind.
How do we go on living knowing that ultimately, our deaths by climate change are imminent? Not a promise in this life time, but an always heavy reminder that we will die, and by our own hands nonetheless?
One question I seem to have is how soon will our minor changes have an effect on the climate? I see human nature as procrastination when it comes to things we cannot instantly fix or change. If we don't see that "instant gratification", what will truly convince people that these issues are happening right in front of our faces but are too small for us to see as "significant"? I do believe we have the voice to change a generation through voting. However, our age is underrepresented within the voting system. Does this arrogance/ignorance come from youth? Or do people our age just not care or notice this?
ReplyDeleteI hate to see myself having a negative outlook on this, but I really do think people our age need to step up and vote for what we believe will help our generation in the future. What will help us move forward.
I also wonder where we draw the line? Climate change has been a hot topic button for politicians who are controlled by various lobbies, so who we trust. I personally trust those who have a science background on the topic, but many solely get their information from a public voice instead of researching. How do we get those people to research and care? With war it is more apparent the direct effects but in a country like the United States where we haven't had this realization, how do we show them the cause and effect?
ReplyDeleteposted on behalf of tricentennialcephalopod:
ReplyDelete"It does seem helpless at times. No matter what we do, it seems as if we cannot make a difference. I propose that you look at this subject from a different stance. Maybe we just need to evolve our understanding of the situation. We did so with religion when Sartre explained his views on radical freedom. That same freedom is what causes the despair from the fact that what we do is almost meaningless. We are still given the choice to try.
What if the ethics of climate change are placed on existential philosophers now? Look at this from the view of Albert Camus. We need to do is treat climate change as a Sisyphean task. Embrace the absurdity of our task and still try to combat climate change."
LAUNCH POST:
ReplyDeleteIn Roy Scranton’s “Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene”, Scranton draws parallels between the foreign destruction he witnessed while serving in Baghdad to the destruction at home with Hurricane Katrina and Sandy. He analyzes the decay of both civilizations, both cities had been annihilated, one by man and the other by nature. When discussing the destruction in the United States, he placed a portion of the blame on the unpreparedness of the US government, “The grim future I’d seen in Baghdad was coming home: not terrorism, not even W.M.D.’s, but a civilization in collapse, with a crippled ingrastructure, unable to recuperate from shocks to the system” (Scranton 2).
Then, Scranton turns the topic to climate change. He discusses that if changes are not made then we will erase humans from existence. He analyzes that this is not a sole person task, so no, you not using a plastic straw really isn’t going to solve anything, Karen. Instead, Scranton states that we need to place more pressure on our government to create a more sustainable environment for us. That we need to have the proper education on climate change and how to fight against it. Scranton claims that in the end it does come down to the people, we need to vote and put the right people in positions of power.
How can we make global warming a human issue, not a Republican or Democrat issue?
What other steps can we take to make sure that global warming does not persist at such alarming rates?
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