“The” solution is “simple”. Live simple, small, slow*. … But the insurmountable challenge can be basically stated as two/“too!!”:
1. There are too many people living with too much and too very many living with much too little. And there isn’t enough to go around.
2. Ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, energetics; psychological, socio-political, and economic aspects of artificial systems; and our dynamic natural/artificial ecosphere are so complex that it is extremely difficult to develop solid & convincing arguments toward “simple, small, slow”. In addition, it is very difficult to diplomatically or otherwise wrestle power from those who have an inordinate amount and/or an improper type of power. Moreover, the power struggles also create terrible perturbations in the ecosphere.
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*These are the basic teachings of: many cultural/religious traditions, including BC; Jesus of Nazareth; Thoreau; Gandhi; E.F. Schumacher; the current Dalai Lama; Wendell Berry; Karen Armstrong; and many other good humans in past and contemporary societies. http://www.multifaithcouncil.org/pages/12stepssummary.pdf
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Below are some pertinent words on why we don’t realize “Simple/Small/Slow”:
“The only moral response, for those of us rich enough to have a choice in the matter, is to consume less of the world’s goods, to share more with those who have the least, and to leave more resources intact and a healthier planet for coming generations.” Sanders (2015) http://www.progressive.org/news/2015/12/188461/magazine-plantation-planet
“The other road, a rocky one, winds towards a future where environmentally concerned citizens come to understand, by virtue of spirited debate and animated conversation, the ‘consumption problem.’ They would see that their individual consumption choices are environmentally important, but that their control over these choices is constrained, shaped, and framed by institutions and political forces that can be remade only through collective citizen action, as opposed to individual consumer behavior. This future world will not be easy to reach. Getting there means challenging the dominant view—the production, technological, efficiency-oriented perspective that infuses contemporary definitions of progress—and requires linking explorations of consumption to politically charged issues that challenge the political imagination. Walking this path means becoming attentive to the underlying forces that narrow our understanding of the possible.” Maniates (2001) http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/152638001316881395?journalCode=glep#.Vnb0aFmDhyB
“October 2010 is a time of ‘unprecedented’ talk of education reform. Why are we not hearing more about what is fundamental to the education process and essential to critical thinking and quality life for all, i.e., ecological literacy and ecology-across-curricula?
We think there are at least seven reasons:
1. Ecological Illiterates. In 2010, most parents, teachers, administrators, education policymakers in the U.S. do not have real knowledge of a concept of ecological literacy (EL) and ecology-across-the-curriculum (EAC). Moreover, their grasp of EAC and EL is probably less than that of parent, teachers, administrators and policymakers in, e.g., the 1930s. (The senior author’s father, who had not attended college, and mother, who only went to school through the eighth grade, knew much more about ecological principles and processes than most folk coming out of college in today’s world.).
A good foundational knowledge in ecological principles and processes is essential to anyone even beginning to understand socio-political/economic systems and for beginning to help move us toward correcting them in an ethical manner, i.e., for the good of rich or poor–including other species–and for as long as possible.
2. Fear of Change. When folk do have an inkling of understanding of what might be meant by EAC, they often generally want to avoid it at all costs (including the costs incurred from the sacrifice of necessary ecological knowledge and actions resulting from critical thinking which would take us toward future quality living within this ecosphere). The reason for this is that their paychecks, interest rates and dividends, yields from stocks and bonds, annuities, government checks, subsidies and assistance, i.e., their relatively comfortable conventional lifestyles, depend upon the bankrupt financial system and fragile socio-economic/political structure which is perilously propped upon a deteriorating natural resource base. And they do not want to rock the boat!
The very powerful, in particular, are reluctant to give up power or even use what they have in order to gain increasing power. Moreover, many of those with power threaten those without similar power with certain job and income loss, in the event that they, the rich and powerful, should lose their own foothold on their exorbitant power.
3. Uncompassionate Apathy. Many people do not de facto care much about the three billion humans who really are struggling to get by in the world and we care even less about other species, especially if they are not mammals or are not relatively large or not stunningly beautiful.
4. Sustainability Is Difficult! (Particularly in a World of 7 Billion and Capitalism). Individuals and world systems are complex, and difficult to reprogram toward conservation and sustainability. Moreover, there are many folk who settle for the status quo, and thus there are many naysayers, cynics and con artists taking a perceived easier path, even while their actions are nudging, shoving or leading us over the cliff..
5. Communication Barriers. It is extremely difficult to even begin to communicate with folk who hold a completely different system of values, especially when these values are on a compellingly attractive and even addictive (yet unfounded) ‘foundation.’
6. Faster Horses! Older Whiskey! Younger “Mates”! More Money! We generally continue to worship at the altar of growth and big, fast and noisy, and technological and artificial, (and energetically and socio-economically/ecologically costly) … at the expense in particular of ‘average’ students/people.
7. Problems in Knowing When the Well Really Is About to Run Dry. As human populations and their appetites and their technology increase, the finite resources of this finite planet are rapidly tapped into and utilized. But to some extent, everything seems fine up until the depletion of necessary resources (especially macronutrients/essential elements & compounds) is precariously near. It is difficult to know and predict when the last amount of life-essential resources are nearing depletion until very near the end of depletion (or near the point where it is virtually energetically impossible to secure them in sufficient amounts to maintain the homeostasis of life systems). [Dr. Albert Bartlett eloquently and thoroughly discussed this in 1978 in his Forgotten Fundamentals of the Energy Crisis www.npg.org/specialreports/bartlett_index.htm ]
(Certainly there have been better analyses of barriers to sustainability, e.g., www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/61837 www.viewpointlearning.com/publications/reports/BC_sustainability_0306.pdf ; however, the seven barriers listed are significant.)” martin et al. (2010) Paper presented at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Society of Educators and Scholars, Oct. 2010