Online Class Debates fuel my eco rants :)

So, over the past 2 weeks in my Environmental Stewardship class we have been debating on the topic of whether sustainability is politically survivable.  We had to read 2 books prior, Plan B 3.O Mobilizing to Save Civilization by Lester R. Brown (2008) and Our Ecological Footprint by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees (1996).  I will refer to them for the next few blogs along with links I have found to contribute to my points. 

So many people are ignorant to renewable energy and change. So many people are from a generation where people believe the way they know is the right way, if it’s not broke don’t fix it.  But sadly the reality is that it is broke, and if we keep on living the way we have been it will be broke and gone.  My grandparents are the same way, they don’t agree with renewables at all.  

To say that politicians think this way as well is not necessarily true.  Politicians want votes, yes they do fear that green choices will lose them votes, but if that were true, all politicians would be anti-green.  A lot of politicians are green, but it is votes that count.  Back to our topic statement “"If sustainabiltiy is not politically survivable, then civilization - the world community - may not survive".  This is the problem, sustainable choices need to be marketed to voters, we are the future generation, where not enough people vote, while the older generations make up the majority of votes, and it is their votes that are usually for less sustainable options.

It is true people fear change, especially for environmental purposes, which is why NDP and Green get less votes. As Wackernagal and Rees say “Some people are unconvinced there is a sustainability crisis at all and others are frightened of the implications of acknowledging that there is”.   Looking back at the last Federal Election with NDP in second, and even the one seat of Green Party, people are looking forward to change our ways, lets hope they were thinking of the environment as one of the factors in voting.   In our last Ontario election, keeping the Liberals in power will continue with the Green Energy Act and renewable energy choices. 

Over the past year, there has been so many government cutbacks to environmental departments such as Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Natural Resources, Parks Canada, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Energy, and so on.  It just proves that the environmental sustainability is not politically survivable, which will in turn, make impossible for us and the world to survive long term.  Does Rees mean environmental sustainability or sustainable development? 

Lets talk sustainable development, according to Wackernagel and Rees “Sustainable Development” is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Our Ecological Footprin, 2007).  So in order for us to live sustainably we need to live within our needs and conserve for future generations, however the lifestyles we have come accustomed to is beyond our means.  Its so simple, so why is it so politically unsustainable?