1. How the lifestyle of the rich became anthropogenic activity in the climate change debate
- Author
-
Jeremy Seabrook
- Subjects
Cultural Studies ,Archeology ,Sociology and Political Science ,Natural resource economics ,business.industry ,Global warming ,Environmental resource management ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,General Social Sciences ,Climate change ,02 engineering and technology ,Consumption (sociology) ,Globalization ,Anthropology ,Sustainability ,Economics ,021104 architecture ,Kyoto Protocol ,Ecosphere ,business ,Social Sciences (miscellaneous) ,021106 design practice & management - Abstract
The author argues that originally concern about the destruction of the ecosphere rested on an awareness of the damaging technologies which sustained the lifestyle of the rich world. There was an emphasis on the unsustainability of development based on a permanently expanding economy and the need to address the abuse of resources and extravagance of the North at the expense of the South. Now, and particularly after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the rich world has successfully exported its development paradigm and managed to attribute climate change to ‘anthropogenic activity’ thereby making everyone appear equally culpable for degrading the planet. In the process, discussion has moved from the need to curb consumption to the necessity of changing energy sources.
- Published
- 2016