So Many Contradictions

I’m not sure how to react to this section. It was full of so many contradictions and powerful statements. On page 292 Squarzoni writes,”We are innocent and heartless…”

Even though this statement is a contradiction, it is very true. Our generation is a consumer society because it is really the only lifestyle that we know. Not many people living in the Western world have ever lived in a society that wasn’t centered on accumulating material goods. We are socially taught to embrace this standard of living and have no control over what society teaches us.

On the other hand, our circumstances have nothing to with how we handle the problems that we may encounter. With all of the scientific information available to us, there is no denying that the actions of the present will shape the future in some way. Since the issue of climate change is full of so many uncertainties, it is much easier for us to stick with what we are most comfortable with and forget about the problem.

Throughout this section, Squarzoni mentions that in order to fight global warming, society would have to break away from consumer culture and have a massive shift in our modes of thinking. Part of me wonders if this is even possible. Bringing back ecological balance to the planet is a huge task in itself. Is it even feasible for us to break away from a lifestyle that our brains are pretty much hard-wired to embrace?