Mehreen

Environmental Justice

Fnu Mehreen

Professor Michele Prezioso

English Composition

March 26, 2021

Climate change has garnered more attention lately and created chaos as people try to understand its reason and the best possible way to control it. Consensus holds that the best way to control environmental degradation is to reduce waste and reduce the carbon emissions harmful to the environment. It is also a common agreement that humans play an important role in the realization of this goal. How to do it and how much change is required to affect the outcome are still debated. Many have hypothesized the best way to curb the destruction wrought on the environment is through living a frugal life.

In contrast, others believe that the bigger reason is the industrial sector. Of course, despite these proposals, people have voiced their concerns and tried to effect change how best they feel is right in persuasive articles. Two articles on this topic have become a point of focus over the past few years. The first is McKibben’s Waste not, want not’, and the second is the article by Jensen titled, “Forget shorter showers.” This paper will compare and contrast paper to present the viewpoints presented by these two different writers.

While these two writers agree that the problem of environmental degradation is imminent and of dire consequences, they differ when it comes to assigning blame. According to Jensen, the idea of assigning blame to the individual makes climate change personal. It puts the burden of slowing down the process onto the individual. In contrast, an individual’s carbon footprint is negligible compared to that of companies and the city’s infrastructure price. (“Orion Magazine | Forget Shorter Showers,” 2021)He believes that asking the individual to recycle, take shorter showers, or watch the amount of energy they use is futile. More impact towards slowing down the process would be done if the companies and industries reduce consumption and recycle more, reducing collective carbon footprint. Therefore, according to Jensen, the blame of an individual is futile, and blame should be placed on the industrial economy as it has the biggest role in destroying the planet. He believes that blaming the individual for climate change is akin to accepting industrialists’ role to the normal person to be consumers. (“Orion Magazine | Forget Shorter Showers,” 2021) That when people buy what they are selling makes us wrong. The existence of products sold by the industries is the reason why people buy. So, instead of blaming the individual for buying products, it would be more effective if the industry used over environment-sensitive production methods. Instead of making petrol-fueled cars and blaming the individual for buying, they should instead make electric cars. (“Orion Magazine | Forget Shorter Showers,” 2021) Then, the individual can buy but not support pollution. Because otherwise, people are left in a double bind where if they buy, then they are responsible for pollution, but even if they do not buy, pollution still happens though not by their cats.

On the other hand, McKibben proposes that consumerism is the main reason why the environment is degrading. According to him, a return to a simple life will have an impact if everyone practiced it. The constant need for society to buy or acquire goods is why climate change has become a problem globally. ( StudyCorgi. 2020) When people own cars despite public transport, they contribute to the carbon released into the atmosphere. Similarly, constant and excessive purchasing is the reason why there is too much waste. He focuses on humanity’s need to preserve the available resources currently or not have them in the future. He believes that the human race’s wastefulness and the desire for things we do not need are the primary cause of environmental degradation. ( StudyCorgi. 2020) While he does not dismiss the role the industrial sector plays in the degradation of the resources. He chooses to focus on the individual’s role in the problem proposing ways to stop the cycle from a personal level. He seeks to push for a change of priorities in individuals, which involves returning people to a thrifty living life and points out the harms posed to the environment by consumerism in the United States of America.

Both writers share a similarity of desire. They both appreciate the advanced world amenities they get to enjoy due to industrial advancement. They appreciate amenities like electricity, air conditioning, bottled water, factories, cars, and the ability to take long showers and use plastic shopping bags. ( StudyCorgi. 2020) Despite these luxuries, they understand the costs of these luxuries to the environment and that its continued use means that they may not be able to enjoy it one day. Their “nip it at the bud” approach, they believe, is the best way to enjoy these and many other luxuries for longer. According to the two articles, ignoring the problem today will make it bigger in the future and possibly harder to control. ( StudyCorgi. 2020) In general, these two writers’ articles only reiterate the dire situation that is in right now and help us realize that the power to slow the degradation process is with humanity changing their lifestyle.

A different perspective with which to view these two articles is the role they play. McKibben introduces the idea that pollution is not unknown to man king. The only reason pollution exists is because humanity has chosen to ignore its role in it. That they view the cost of change as too big for them because they are focused on acquiring the luxuries the alternative provides them according to McKibben, educated graduates from Harvard, with the knowledge and the ability to effect change in the society have chosen not to take responsibility. ( StudyCorgi. 2020) The graduates can use the knowledge they acquire and try to improve it. If what they chose to pursue in college is not related to the environment, they can still participate in environmentally friendly practices personally. ( StudyCorgi. 2020). He implies that these students waste their money and time choosing a business and finance career as their spheres of focus are a wrong approach. It is this argument that paves the way for Jensen’s argument. According to this school of thought, blame is placed solely on the individual and has the problem of seeing the idea of simple living as political. (“Orion Magazine | Forget Shorter Showers, 2021) Those who do not live frugal lives are seen as the reason behind climate change, while those are politically correct. He believes that personal change does not equal social change. That just because an individual chooses to change, then it will happen across the globe. The amount of environment preserved by frugality is too small considering most damage is done by industries. (“Orion Magazine | Forget Shorter Showers,” 2021) Jensen’s article echoes McKibben’s article while proposing additional steps towards preserving the environment rather than just the letter writer’s simple proposition.

The tone these writers employ in their articles has some similarities and tends to differ at some point. Both articles are proposed to inspire change in their audience. There were both written at a time of growing attention and interest in the need for environmental change. The articles are meant for open-minded and liberal people because they were published in journals with progressive readers who advocate for change. With the growing need for fast and drastic changes, the writers were writing the pieces with much frustration. ( StudyCorgi. 2020). It is depicted with the way the authors address the issue of political change and possible solutions. McKibben, his commentary on the ignorance of people about climate change and how hyper-consumerism is the reason behind waste, depicts a frustrated author who is desperate to pass on his message. Jensen structures his article in a way that reiterates the need for industrial change in every paragraph. This implied deep frustration of the constant need for people to change while those who need to change do nothing to correct their actions. Therefore, both writers are overwhelmed by the continuous lack of change from the individuals they believe are integral, and it is evidenced in the tone of their articles.

Their tone, however, differs when McKibben used a friendly and humorous tone to communicate with his audience. This could be because of his proposition. Asking people to change their lifestyle is not a topic that can be comfortably approached militantly since it causes defensiveness and often tends to be perceived as offensive. Therefore, his tone is more coercive than admonishing by the application of humor to achieve his goal. In contrast, Jensen uses militant language to urge his readers toward a revolution that will effect change at the industrial level. (“Orion Magazine | Forget Shorter Showers,” 2021)A known political criticism activist and environmental writer, the tone is in keeping with his character. He uses the statement, “well, no… Uh, I have got some bad news,” in his third paragraph to imply that what he was about to share is extremely troubling. (“Orion Magazine | Forget Shorter Showers,” 2021)

In summation, these two writers present two different arguments on the reason behind climate change and how we could solve it. In his article, Jensen proposes that blaming the individual and requiring them to change while not making the same industrial economy requirements is redundant. Companies and large industries cause more pollution, and asking the individual to take these steps puts them in a double bind of being damned if they do it and damned if they do not. On the other hand, McKibben proposes that individuals’ ignorance of the problem is the main reason behind climate change. The constant need to own and consume is causing pollution globally, and if people chose to live frugally, this problem could be managed.

References.

Orion Magazine | Forget Shorter Showers. Orion Magazine. (2021). Retrieved March 24

2021, from

https://orionmagazine.org/article/forget-shorter-showers/

.

StudyCorgi. (2020, April 20). “Forget Shorter Showers” and “Waste Not, Want

Not”. Retrieved from

https://studycorgi.com/forget-shorter-showers-and-waste-not-

want-not