Gernot Wagner (best name ever?) at the Environmental Defense Fund has a new op-ed in the NY Times today that centers on an argument so misguided it's almost genius. Here's how it opens:
"You do all the right things. Good. Just know that it won’t save the tuna, protect the rain forest or stop global warming. The changes necessary are so large and profound that they are beyond the reach of individual action."
What a truly inspirational argument. Maybe Gernot has been spending too much time with A. Politicians or B. Corporates like Nestle and Monsanto.
The biggest thing that Gernot seems to absolutely not get is that it's not just about the green behaviours we exhibit. It's about all of us shifting to a completely new way of thinking about how our planet works. Which is why the ending of this article really takes the cake:
"Don’t stop recycling. Don’t stop buying local. [!] But add mastering some basic economics to your to-do list. Our future will be largely determined by our ability to admit the need to end planetary socialism. That’s the most fundamental of economics lessons and one any serious environmentalist ought to heed."
Right, because economics is a really effective way of understanding how the world actually works. Thanks Gernot!
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