“The short answer to the question ‘Is sustainable capitalism possible?’ is ‘No’.” begins James O’Connor in his essay, “Sustainable Capitalism”. This said “sustainable capitalism” cannot be achieved, he argues, because capitalism is “self-destructing” (O’Connor, 2), and a major cause for the increasing disparity between rich and poor nations. On a similar note, Hickling-Hudson, in her essay “The Environment as Radical Politics”, suggests that
the pattern of industrial development…has caused unprecedented damage to the physical and ecological balance of our planet…[Capitalism] links the world’s peoples, nation states and environments in a single process of combined and uneven development which ensures that an ever increasing number of people use natural resources in ways which are not sustainable in the long term. (Hickling-Hudson, 21).
Achieving environmental sustainability, therefore, requires society to challenge these detrimental policies and ways of political and capitalistic thinking. However, change can only occur through the education of the public; what we need is the promotion of a sustainable lifestyle. Unfortunately, this education can only be supported in independent, self-sufficient countries that are able to provide for the basic necessities of the people, and this is a characteristic that is lacking in third world countries. However, this can be alleviated through meaningful reforms for education, health care, and other basic necessities; only in a state of self-sufficiency can nations propel themselves on a path towards sustainable development.
This socialization has already begun in the United States and other highly developed countries; sustainability is becoming ubiquitous in our lives. It pervades the media, politics, literature, art, and even everyday routines, like washing the dishes or throwing out the trash. Environmental service-learning has become integrated into the coursework of students; for example, in my English class, not only do I write papers, but on the weekends I also do mandatory service work like planting trees, shrubbery, and ferns, as well as removing invasive species from parks. In Seattle, there is even a day called “Green Seattle Day”, a family-oriented event that is devoted to planting trees, rain or shine in multiple local parks around Seattle. As a volunteer for this event, I was in charge of the children’s booth, where little kids and teenagers could color in leaves with crayons and tape their leaf on to a representational tree-stand; although simple, the action was symbolic and educational in that it promoted the children’s positive involvement with the environment. Accompanying the leaves waiting to be colored on the table were informational illustrated pamphlets and booklets that described every different plant living in the parks, and many other facts. As I perused a series of photographs of Snowberries and ferns, I began to formulate questions in my mind: how are the children being educated about the environment in poorer countries? Surely they are not given access to color photographs of plants and typed pamphlets on laminated paper. And if they did have access, would they be able to even read the information? The importance of public education about the environment has become increasingly apparent – even in the University of Washington in Seattle, a new interdisciplinary college of the environment has been added to specifically educate students about sustainability not only in scientific terms, but also in the fields of economics, literature, philosophy, and many other disciplines. However, environmental education is typically limited to developed countries, for the movement for sustainability is often perceived to be “carried by those who are white, wealthy and young” (Hickling-Hudson, 25) by third world countries. Undeniably, this misconception must be changed for the sake of the preservation of the environment, but this shift in attitude cannot be attained without steps taken towards the alleviation of miserable, destitute lifestyles that the citizens in third world countries suffer.
In these impoverished countries, the sustainability scene is a stark opposite. Desperate and willing to sacrifice anything to get rid of international debt and increase production, third world countries, like nations in Africa, even accept shipments of hazardous wastes, products, and technologies and threats that may potentially harm the health and safety of citizens (James, 145), all so they can increase revenues; environmental policies and regulations are absent in these third world countries, which continue to be exploited by developed nations for its resources. Environmental problems tend to be the last on poor countries’ agendas. Because of this attitude, the governments of third world countries allow malpractices and disasters to occur, including the extensive use of pesticides and chemicals that poison the waterways, the construction of unsuitable dams, the destruction of habitats, oil-spillage pollution, and many more. Subsequently, Hickling-Hudson suggests that third world governments try not to lose contact with “Western companies”, which thus has led to “little pursuit of research…Many governments are reluctant to pursue environmental legislation, standards and controls which may alienate the important…companies operating in the economy” (Hickling-Hudson, 24). Without the cooperation and ability of impoverished countries’ governments to change their development to one that is more sustainable and environmentally-conscious, the distant goal of creating a globally sustainable community is highly unlikely to be achieved. An enormous problem posed, however, is the dependence third world countries have on the ties they have with developed “Western” countries. Discussing the importance for third world countries to become self-sustainable, Valentine James proposes that the sign of a fully autonomous nation is one that can fully support its citizens by being able to provide the basic necessities of life, like food, clothing, shelter, and health care, without the help of outside countries (James, 142) in his essay, “The Importance of Self-Sufficiency”. Weakened by past colonial exploitations, these nations never fully developed into urban areas, due to the conflict of interests and vast disparity between the powerful rich that colonized the land and the poor native dwellers; after this period of colonialism, the impoverished countries were left fragmented, dependent, vulnerable, and poorly integrated. A restructuring of the education system and eventual increase in active participation in the government are integral in the construction of identity. Only after a nation becomes self-sufficient and unified, can it readjust itself towards sustainable development and environmental reform.
Reasons to why these third world nations act in a self-destructive manner are discussed in Jared Diamond’s essay, “Why Do Some Societies Make Disastrous Decisions?”, in which the professor details multiple “stops”, or factors that contribute to societies’ failures. These “stops” include: “[failure] to anticipate a problem before it [arrives];…perceiving or failing to perceive a problem that has actually arrived;…[and failing] to attempt to solve a problem once it has been perceived” (Diamond, 31-34). All of these “stops” can be addressed through education. A thorough understanding of global history as well as advanced technology are a few examples that would result from education, and would serve well to avoid disastrous consequences. I am not claiming that education is the solve-all, but merely suggesting that many disasters can be prevented through the heightening of the level of education and literacy in a society. An example of this would be the transformation of Kerala, India, into a state that is now well on its way to becoming a sustainable society. In his analysis of Kerala, “The ‘Kerala model’ of development”, which rose from the clutches of acute poverty, Govindan Parayil suggests that increased literacy has a direct correlation with the citizens’ democratic participation in the government (Parayil, 946). He subsequently argues that major factors in the successful transition of a third world nation to one that is sustainable would include: the engagement of the poor and working people in democratic processes (labor and civic organizations), the fostering of public dialogue on environmental conservation issues, and the development of social movements through the establishment of a civil society to promote environmental conservation and other grassroots projects (Parayil, 950). Therefore, the increase of literacy and the introduction of programs that foster growth in education are essential in the development of a self-sufficient country. In order to challenge the corrupt governments that allow for the exploitation of the nation, societies need to actively participate in the government, and call for reforms for not only the environment, but also for the general living conditions and well-being of the people.
The importance of education in a country is paramount. With a proper system, the nation is able to retain bright minds, who will eventually learn to become strong future leaders, scientists, etc, and generally become well-educated and dutiful citizens – all of these are core components of a strong and independent nation. It is through education that the message for environmentalism can be spread. A deeper understanding of sustainability, as well as its integration into general culture, leads to consciously better choices being made, more reforms passed in the government, and many other actions that lead to the establishment of a sustainable global community – a goal that is necessary to achieve, in order to secure our futures, as well as the future lives of generations to come.
Print Resources
Adams, William M. “Green Development: Reformism or Radicalism?” Green Development: Environment and Sustainability in the third world. 1990. Routledge: London. 192-202.
Diamond, Jared. “Why Do Some Societies Make Disastrous Decisions?” Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Penguin Group, 2005.
James, Valentine Udoh. “The Importance of Self-sufficiency to African Countries”. Sustainable Development in third world Countries: Applied and Theoretical Perspectives. Ed. Valentine Udoh James. 1996. Praeger Publishers: Westport, CT. 142-153.
Internet Resources
Daily, Gretchen C. and Ehrlich, Paul R. “Socioeconomic Equity, Sustainability, And Earth’s Carrying Capacity.” Ecological Applications, 6(4), 991-1001, 1996. Ecological Society of America. Accessed 11/17/08. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/2269582>
Hickling-Hudson, Anne. “The Environment as Radical Politics: Can ‘third world’ Education Rise to the Challenge?”. International Review of Education, Vol. 40, No. 1 (1994), pp. 19-36. Springer. Accessed 11/17/08. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3444284>
Parayil, Govindan. “The ‘Kerala model’ of development: development and sustainability in thethird world”. Eds. Dr. Adrian Gully and Dr. Christine Woodhead. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies: third world Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 5, pp. 941-957, 1996. Carfax Publishing Company: Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Accessed 11/18/08.<scholar.google.com>