Carbon-Tinted Glasses
Most of us have heard the phrase rose-tinted glasses, meaning a tendency to view the world from an optimistic, rosy, point of view. As we also know, when we look at things through only one perspective, we can gain an unrealistic view of reality. There is nothing wrong with being optimistic, but if that blinkers us to other aspects of life and the world, then there is no need to work for social change or environmental justice.
Rose-tinted however, are not the only style of glasses we can wear. Over the past decade or two we have become accustomed to wearing carbon-tinted glasses. There are many within the climate change movement wearing these glasses, and many too (sadly) within the environmental movement.
What do I mean? First, I’ll briefly outline how we have come to be wearing carbon-tinted glasses, and then secondly, point out how those glasses blinker us.
What are carbon-tinted glasses?
Since we began to learn about climate change (from the time that it was known as the “greenhouse effect” and on) we have slipped into our western pattern of attributing linear thinking and a simplistic cause and effect mentality. It goes like this: 1. The atmosphere is warming up, 2. It is warming up because of the build-up of carbon, 3. Carbon is being added to the atmosphere because of human causes, 4. Primarily, the burning of fossil fuels, 5. What is the solution? 6. Replace fossil fuels as the source of energy with “renewable” energy sources (particularly solar and wind.)
Central to this linear thinking is the role of carbon. Within this tightly framed mindset the issue becomes simply one of reducing carbon.
Thus, we get blinkered by our seeing the world through carbon-tinted glasses.
What are we blinkered to?
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