Dear Michael and all,
I was excited to have Michael chime in, because I thought he might offer a different perspective based on the 2001 GEP article on individualization. Curbing our flying behavior is undoubtedly more consequential than recycling (or even planting a tree, buying a bike, etc.), but is it the best use of our collective energy to focus on individual responsibility? If the issues are mainly structural and institutional, are these "to fly or not to fly" debates a distraction from the bigger debates about how we could collectively influence outcomes, if at all? (I do understand that discussions about flying involve changing our professional institutions, but in the grand scheme of atmospheric collapse and our limited time and energy, don't political institutions matter more?) I don't have answers or judgment. I do less frequent conference and research travel than most, I have been a vegetarian for 35 years, and I don't even own a smart phone (due to concern about e-waste - my 15-year-old flip phone still works, and I don't even use that phone too much, preferring to look up and around). But. I have three kids with Western consumption patterns, so the planet isn't necessarily better off for having me in it. Like many of us, I struggle with "walking the walk," but what kind of walk? Michael's ideas about political action (and others who write in the same spirit) seem worthy of attention. All the best, Debra ***** Debra Javeline Associate Professor | Department of Political Science | University of Notre Dame | 2060 Jenkins Nanovic Halls | Notre Dame, IN 46556 | tel: <tel:(574)%20631-2793> 574-631-2793 Fellow, <http://kroc.nd.edu/> Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, <http://nd.edu/~kellogg/> Kellogg Institute for International Studies, <http://nanovic.nd.edu/> Nanovic Institute for European Studies Core faculty, <http://germanandrussian.nd.edu/russian/faculty/program-faculty/RussianandEa stEuropeanStudies.shtml> Russian and East European Studies Program Affiliated faculty, <http://environmentalchange.nd.edu/> Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "gep-ed" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/gep-ed/01e501d5373f%24efa4a5f0%24ceedf1d0%24%40nd.edu.
