Save The Planet? Forget About It...
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 10.17.07
“Please, I beg you, if you care about climate change forget about "saving the planet".” So argues George Marshall, founder of the Climate Outreach Network in a blog post over at the Guardian. We’re inclined to agree. Before the angry comments pile up, we should clarify that he is in no way suggesting we give up on the struggle, merely that we change the way we frame the argument. TreeHugger has long been clear about the fact that we need to change the way we talk about and present sustainability. From our celebrations of modern green design through to guest posts on marketing really, really well, our motto of “hip not hippy” has been a rallying cry for presenting a vibrant, forward looking vision of the future. According to George, there is no better example of the need to change our language than that tired old phrase “saving the planet”:
First there is that word "planet". This word contains no sense of emotional connection. What is a planet? A lump of cold rock floating in space. Personally it does nothing for me. My attachment is to my family, friends, and community. The further I get away from that core the less I feel connected or prepared to act. The word planet, like climate, distances it even further from my immediate concerns.And then there is this saving thing. Some people, and I am one, are motivated by the call to save something specific from imminent destruction - rainforests or whales or the panda - but this is a rallying cry for a campaign, not a total change in behaviour.
The phrase "save the planet" is closely associated with these worthy campaigns and the activist culture that produced them, which, let's face it, is overwhelmingly white and middle class. It is not an association that reaches deep into mainstream society.
If we are to achieve any kind of progress, George argues, we need to accept that people want to make things better; that they want personal gain; and that they never want to live with less. The key then is to frame sustainability as a question of forward thinking, innovative and responsible living that will ultimately offer us a better quality of life. We certainly can’t argue with that. ::The Guardian::via site visit::
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He makes a good point. I try to stress things like how some 'green' living things are also money-saving options, like CFL bulbs, composting, re-using, recycling things. Also there's just the cool factor of wind-up flashlights and solar mobile phone chargers :)
Overally I think it's good that 'going green' is in the public eye so much, and there will always be people of all types - from the skeptical environmentalists to the gun-toting 4x4 owners - that don't like that it's become a faddish thing, but like with all fads many people and industries will continue along the path, and that can't be a bad thing.
Also, there's the part where the planet is in no way beholden to us, its human infestation; my problem with zealous environmentalists has always been with the arrogant notion that the planet "cares" about us in some way.
I like "let's all not kill human civilization together!"
This reminds me somewhat of the critique of the environmental movement made in "The Death of Environmentalism" by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus in 2004 (which you can read online by downloading the PDF at http://www.thebreakthrough.org/images/Death_of_Environmentalism.pdf).
The spirit is similar (especially in the recognition of extending the forum beyond the traditionally 'environmental' towards social issues, etc.) and I think the timing is critical. Suddenly we're finding environmental concerns topping the everyday agenda seriously and I wonder how truly prepared we are to make good use of the attention.
He is right. It is not about saving the planet. We will not kill the planet. We might do a lot of damages, but we will not kill it.
What we are doing right now is modifying enough our ecosystem, that it becomes impossible for humans to live on earth. So it is not that much about saving the planet, than saving our lives.
We are engaged in a massive collective suicide.
I love George Carlin's classic routine:
The PLANET is fine.... WE'RE f**ked!
Save The Planet is a slogan that came out of the early 70's... It was a song on one of Edgar Winter's albums, and also some French wanna-be pop star, turned environmentalist... who managed to slip it on top the Hard Rock Cafe logo... it's still on the little flags they stick in your burger! Sigh...
It was coined at a time when in addition to pollution, the cold war was raging, so it meant more than an environmental mission, there was a very real threat of mutually assured destruction, which despite what people think, is still a present and clear danger.
We are killing the planet... we're terraforming it into Mars... the planet will die if we don't stop.. it will lose its atmosphere... it will be a rock floating in space, devoid of life as we know it. It will still be called a planet... but the biosphere will be gone!
Save the Planet is a catch phrase... sure, to some, friends, family and community is everything... but if there's no planet left for them to walk on and breath in... it's a silly argument... Save The Planet is not a white, middle-class phrase, it belongs to all race, creed and religions...
Perhaps it's when these two things finally merge, the sense of urgency ultra-sensitives have felt for years about the impending threat to eco-systems, and the human relationships we hold dear... that might be when we finally start getting something done... rather than ponder rethoric!
Save The Planet is a slogan that came out of the early 70's... It was a song on one of Edgar Winter's albums, and also some French wanna-be pop star, turned environmentalist... who managed to slip it on top the Hard Rock Cafe logo... it's still on the little flags they stick in your burger! Sigh...
It was coined at a time when in addition to pollution, the cold war was raging, so it meant more than an environmental mission, there was a very real threat of mutually assured destruction, which despite what people think, is still a present and clear danger.
We are killing the planet... we're terraforming it into Mars... the planet will die if we don't stop.. it will lose its atmosphere... it will be a rock floating in space, devoid of life as we know it. It will still be called a planet... but the biosphere will be gone!
Save the Planet is a catch phrase... sure, to some, friends, family and community is everything... but if there's no planet left for them to walk on and breath in... it's a silly argument... Save The Planet is not a white, middle-class phrase, it belongs to all race, creed and religions...
Perhaps it's when these two things finally merge, the sense of urgency ultra-sensitives have felt for years about the impending threat to eco-systems, and the human relationships we hold dear... that might be when we finally start getting something done... rather than ponder rethoric!