Clive Hamilton on New Ecological Consciousness (Part-2)

Here's the 2nd video to the 2-part video where Clive Hamilton talks about “Consumerism, Self-creation and Prospects for a New Ecological Consciousness” in a lecture series titled “Rethinking Our Place in Nature”. To learn more about Clive Hamilton click here.


Topics in Part-2:-



- Green Consumerism
“collection of efforts by environmental NGO’s, businesses and government’s to persuade individuals to buy goods & services that are less harmful to natural environment through their production, consumption and disposal”.
Self-creation from consuming green goods.



- Dangers of Green Consumerism:


Privatization of responsibility for environmental degradation.


Rather than set of problems endemic to economic & social structure, understood as individual responsibility to personal environmental contribution (consistent with free-market view).



- Failure of Green Consumerism to induce significant inroads into unsustainable nature of product & consumption.



- Implications of individualizing responsibility to democracy & environmental progress:


Transforms public debate from institutions (perpetuating environmental degradation) to about personal behavior.


Express concerns through purchasing decisions.


Commoditization of social consent.


Changes ethical conversation to questions of personal morality and not understanding cause & solution (structural factors).


Blocks real solutions.



- Green Consumerism dis-empowers by denying us our agency as citizens.



- "Consumers are not that same as being a citizen, just as Supermarket behavior is not the same as ballot-box behavior".



- Entrenchment of consumption behavior with self.



- Phenomenon of wasteful consumption


:– unbounded desires but limited capacity for usage.



- Evidence contradicting Environmental Kuznets Curve.



- Must re-manufacture ourselves and not just change our consuming behavior.



- Can the citizens be persuaded for an authentic fulfilling alternative to consumer life?



- Must directly challenge consumption & identity formation.



- Recent down-shift phenomenon among some individuals as a challenge.



- Non-philosophical, non-environmental motive of the down-shifters but for personal fulfillment.



Still Interested! Click here to watch part-2.