When you look at this, at some points, I want to emphasize you about environmental issues that can make us worry enough. I read a book written by Fred Magdoff and John Bellamy Foster (you can search the book out by yourself). The book started with a discussion between both of them and people who concern about climate change and environmental issues.
And I should make a disclaimer that here I am not an environmental activist at all, but I was shocked enough when I knew the facts. Something that you should know that if I finish reading a book and it is awesome to be discussed, I will tell you about the book here.
We do know that environmental degradation has been lasting, it is not new to today’s world, it has occurred even since ancient civilization up to the industrial revolution, but many don’t even care, and it is exacerbated by the existence of a capitalist economic system that emphasizes profits than consider the impacts. The book mainly might be the U.S. background which is U.S.-style high economic consumption but earth degradation is commonly happening all over the world due to life support systems based on a capitalist economy.
Today is different from pre-industrial society which at the time still depended on the agricultural economy, the environmental problems were not as worse as today, and it happens widespread.
Either advanced countries or developed countries, they contribute to environmental pollution. Every country throughout the world competes to increase economic growth in a variety of ways, including a country such as Indonesia. Yet the efforts toward economic growth often sacrifice the ecological condition of our planet where all human beings with other species live in. But the weird thing is why they could tell that capitalism offers a solution for environmental problems, in terms of green capitalism/green consumption. And what I think about this book is trying to convince us that capitalism is not the solution but the problem, and never be a solution.
Man can take benefits of natural resources for life sustainability, but they shouldn’t take abundantly as they want by destructing nature. The worst is that the natural resources may be enjoyed by the least of the elite while others, such as the low class of society, are still difficult to get access then it can trigger the social gap.
I may imagine what is going on in my country for the first before imagining global destruction. In Indonesia, there have been lots of environmental destruction caused by humans while digging up natural resources just for profit. Yet, even though Indonesia is rich in natural resources doesn’t make most of the people prosperous. It is ironic.
This book also discusses over the solutions, either long term or short term solution that offered for environmental issues. Yet for me, the thing that needs to be emphasized and underlined is a life-style and economic policy change that will be very affected toward the use of natural resources. It is not mainly about natural resources but how we as humankind can keep the planet from devastation.
