Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Will Our Children ‘Condemn’ Us for Inaction on Climate Change?

By Andrew Restuccia
Monday, September 27, 2010 at 1:31 pm

The Washington Post ran a thought-provoking op-ed Sunday that posed a simple question: “What will future generations condemn us for?”

Kwame Anthony Appiah, a philosophy professor at Princeton University, offered four possibilities, including the world’s treatment and disregard for the environment.

From the op-ed:

It’s not as though we’re unaware of what we’re doing to the planet: We know the harm done by deforestation, wetland destruction, pollution, overfishing, greenhouse gas emissions — the whole litany. Our descendants, who will inherit this devastated Earth, are unlikely to have the luxury of such recklessness. Chances are, they won’t be able to avert their eyes, even if they want to.

Appiah makes an important point, one that is both incredibly obvious and essential. He gets to the heart of why environmental legislation in this country often gets pushed to the sidelines: Climate change and other environmental issues have not affected Americans’ day-to-day lives in the same way that issues like the economic downturn and the housing crisis have.

As Appiah notes, it’s not that Americans are “unaware” of the impacts of the many environmental issues facing this country and the world as a whole, it’s just that we haven’t been forced to address them yet. And, the irony is, scientists say we need to address them now in order to avoid catastrophic consequences down the road.

It’s an issue that environmentalists have been struggling with for years. And, with the prospects of passing climate change legislation any time soon dwindling to nothing, environmentalists will have to continue to struggle to convince the American people and lawmakers that urgent action is needed.

Over the years, environmentalists have latched on to a number of symbols of the need to address climate change: polar bears, rising sea levels, melting ice caps and national security). None have seemed to work. The question going forward is this: what will the next rallying cry be?

Follow Andrew Restuccia on Twitter

Comments

26 Comments

ladies wellington boots – Child Trust Funds Help Children to Start off Life Debt Free | Structured Settlement
Pingback posted September 27, 2010 @ 4:54 pm

[...] Will Our Children ‘Condemn’ Us for Inaction on Climate Change? « The Washington In… [...]

Anthony arrives at Nuggets media day (AP) | Basketball
Pingback posted September 27, 2010 @ 8:29 pm

[...] Will Our Children 'Condemn' Us for Inaction on Climate Change … [...]

Baby, Infant and Children Center » Baby Names Dictionary | Baby name
Pingback posted September 27, 2010 @ 10:30 pm

[...] Will Our Children 'Condemn' Us for Inaction on Climate Change … [...]

Nutrient intakes of young children: implications for long-day child-care nutrition recommendations. (Short Communication).: An article from: Nutrition … of the Dieticians Association of Australia Reviews | Best Cooking Books
Pingback posted September 27, 2010 @ 11:44 pm

[...] Will Our Children 'Condemn' Us for Inaction on Climate Change … var a2a_config = a2a_config || {}; a2a_config.linkname="Nutrient intakes of young children: implications for long-day child-care nutrition recommendations. (Short Communication).: An article from: Nutrition … of the Dieticians Association of Australia Reviews"; a2a_config.linkurl="http://Cooking.booksharecentral.net/2010/Cooking-article/nutrient-intakes-of-young-children-implications-for-long-day-child-care-nutrition-recommendations-short-communication-an-article-from-nutrition-of-the-dieticians-association-of-australia-re/"; [...]

Marketing to children? Check out Check | MarketingByMouth.com
Pingback posted September 28, 2010 @ 1:52 am

[...] Will Our Children 'Condemn' Us for Inaction on Climate Change … [...]

gorak
Comment posted September 28, 2010 @ 1:16 am

Our children will have about as much experience with real nature as we do. On vacation in a park.

The people who remain living in actual nature are the starving wretches you see on charity commercials.

Fast Online news
Trackback posted September 28, 2010 @ 9:41 am

India’s children swarm Games sites…

I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)…

Autism
Trackback posted September 28, 2010 @ 6:08 pm

Autism And Nutrition – Can Autism Diets Help Recover A Child From Autism?…