I agree with Leonardo Dicaprio’s thought that industrial civilization has caused irreparable damage and the idea that the worst is yet to come with regards to natural disasters on this planet that have resulted from our misuse and abuse of its resources such as oil and the forest. The text suggests that while environmental education has had a positive impact on society it is clear that the world is ignorant to the reality of our ecological situation. When I hear that 45 million Americans think the ocean is a fresh water source I feel a sense of duty and obligation as an educational justice leader to advocate for ecopedagogy within schools. As a leading influence in the world, we (as a nation) have an obligation to make informed decisions about our use of the world’s resources (land, water, oil, plant life, etc.). To send Americans to the poles to vote for or against going green when many Americans are ignorant about simple facts like our water source is tremendously irresponsible and I believe it is the responsibility of educational leaders to insure global education in schools which should include an understanding on ecology. Additionally, I believe it is our duty to limit the abuse of poor countries resources and labor by American conglomerates.
Ecosystem damage isn't so much the fault of industrial civilization as it is a result of unrestricted capitalism. A free market, unrestricted system requires and thrives on ever increasing rates growth (progress?). It seeks out raw materials, creates markets and sells commodities with the baseline intention of increasing profits for investors. For many, there's no such ethic as "Doing well, while doing good."
ReplyDeleteIf you live in a 3rd or 4th world country you are likely to be subject to multiple forms of exploitation. This may include the exploitation of your labor force, your renewable resources (trees) and non-renewable resources (oil/minerals). As your economy is not substantial enough to purchase or invest in many of the products that were constructed with your own resources and assembled or cared for by your own people - you starve and are a non-participant in the global, free market economy.
Marx warned us!