It is election time again. In attempting to draw clear distinctions from political opponents, candidates (and pundits, too) often either shout for “change” or “stay the course”. Incumbents tend to do well at the polls when the status quo reflects a general acceptance by the public that things are going tolerably well and could be a lot worse. Challengers to the incumbents commonly succeed when the public perception is that things are bad and getting worse, if not intolerable.
Applying this political metaphor to natural resource management, I am reminded that in 1968, ecologist Garrett Hardin coined the phrase “tragedy of the commons.” Frustrated with the status quo of that time not doing enough to curb global population growth and pollution, he explained that
“…worshippers of the status quo sometimes imply that no reform is possible without unanimous agreement, an implication contrary to historical fact. As nearly as I can make out, automatic rejection of proposed reforms is based on one of two unconscious assumptions: (i) that the status quo is perfect; or (ii) that the choice we face is between reform and no action; if the proposed reform is imperfect, we presumably should take no action at all, while we wait for a perfect proposal.
But we can never do nothing. That which we have done for thousands of years is also action. It also produces evils. Once we are aware that the status quo is action, we can then compare its discoverable advantages and disadvantages with the predicted advantages and disadvantages of the proposed reform, discounting as best we can for our lack of experience. On the basis of such a comparison, we can make a rational decision which will not involve the unworkable assumption that only perfect systems are tolerable.” —pp. 1247-1248 (Hardin, G. 1968. The tragedy of the commons. Science vol. 162 no. 3859: 1243-1248.)
To my mind, during these post-industrial, peak-oil times, the status quo action over the past two hundred years of rapidly accelerating the depletion of our planet’s natural savings account of fresh water, oceanic fisheries, tropical rainforests, topsoil, and other life support features while concurrently causing great losses in biodiversity is the wrong path. The growth-is-good model is no longer tenable; in fact, it is a disservice to nature, society and should be exposed as being “un-American” in the 21st century, the environmental century. In the early days of GEM, I recall attending a campus-wide strategic planning event where the status quo push-back was voiced by a several senior faculty members against “sustainability” (GEM’s core tenet) as “perverse and subversive”. Thankfully, things have changed and sustainability is embraced widely on campus now and at most institutions of higher education in the USA and elsewhere.
This brings me to Thanksgiving reflections. I am thankful for the spectacular rise of the local food movement, for local communities across the nation embracing progressive change towards a sustainable future through grassroots actions such as Transition Towns, The Natural Step, SustainLane, Permaculture, and many more. I am thankful that my wife and I are cancer survivors so far. As cancer has reached epidemic proportions (I’ve read that one in three Americans will face cancer), I re-read Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) after digesting the evocative follow-on book on synthetic chemical toxins, Slow Death by Rubber Duck—The secret danger of everyday things, by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie (2009, CounterPoint Publishing, Berkeley, CA).
Other good news is that more and more towns, villages, and municipalities are stopping synthetic pesticide and herbicide use on playgrounds in public parks; more and more farmers and ranchers are embracing organic methods in replacement of synthetic hormones and GMO feeds (our family will be enjoying a free-range, organic turkey this holiday season); renewable energy technologies are penetrating the marketplace to build a cleaner, greener energy system in our nation; some children’s toys manufacturers are eliminating carcinogenic phthalate (synthetic chemicals that provide flexibility to plastics) in their products; green guerilla gardeners are transforming urban blight and brownfields into healthy, productive plots that lift spirit and nutrition of inner city residents. I am especially thankful to American Indian wisdom keepers past and present from which we can learn nature’s way to help protect and respect Mother Earth. Let’s be thankful for all indigenous wisdom keepers as well as the Garret Hardin’s and Rachel Carson’s of the world and like-minded, ordinary people in our neighborhoods and communities—unsung local heroes building a better tomorrow today. I’m hoping you are one, too, thank you.
Thankfully,
GEM Education Center Blog 