AT THE beginning of his lecture, visiting author Bill McKibben admitted, "There's a way in which I'm a depressive fellow." Indeed, it's difficult to put a positive spin on the destruction of the planet and the end of civilization as we know it, but although McKibben's warnings may be uncomfortable, we should listen.
McKibben argued that in recent decades, humans have become "bigger than we should be, bigger than it makes sense to try to become." Our impact on the environment has increased dramatically, with dangerous results. This impact is measurable not only in the ravaging of our natural resources and landscapes, but also in the climate changes that are caused by human pollution. As a result of our toxic emissions, the average temperature on the planet has increased from 59 degrees Fahrenheit to 60 degrees.
Some argue that global warming is not the problem that environmentalists make it out to be. These analysts believe that the temperature of the atmosphere naturally fluctuates over time, and that the extra heat will not harm us.
However, while a rise in one degree may appear infinitesimal to those of us who cope with the meteorological mood swings in Charlottesville, but for the planet, one degree of heat has serious consequences. Global warming melts glaciers, and the additional water has flooded coastal communities throughout the world. McKibben pointed out that ironically, the countries that will suffer the most from global warming have little to do with the problem. For example, Bangladesh, which produces almost no harmful emissions, now suffers yearly flooding that disrupts their ability to sustain the country though agriculture.
So far, Americans have proven largely unwilling to alter their destructive lifestyles or even to believe speakers like McKibben who warn of the consequences, but the rising price of oil may force dramatic changes in the American way of life in the near future. Although the planet still contains a great deal of unused oil, economists and geologists warn that we are rapidly nearing a peak in production, after which the cost of extracting oil will steadily rise and the price of a barrel will skyrocket.
No one can pinpoint exactly when we will reach this global peak, but scientists predict that it will happen within the next decade. Once this occurs, the excesses of our consumer culture will be curbed whether we like it or not.
Our economy is based on cheap and easy travel: the ability to produce a product in Malaysia, transport it to the United States and distribute it to retail outlets across the country. McKibben observed that most products in our local Wal-Mart travel thousands of miles before we buy them at a discount, but in a world without cheap energy, "Wal-mart makes less sense."
McKibben called for humans to restrain themselves, to recognize the consequences of our relentless quest to be bigger, to go father, and to obtain more, but these calls for moderation run counter to our deep ambitious impulses. In America, we are raised to believe that we should make more money than our parents, shatter world records and explore undiscovered realms of knowledge. This is a nation that once looked to the moon and vowed that one day, human beings would touch its surface. We don't want to hear about our own limitations and we don't believe anyone has the right to tell us how high we should reach.
However, we don't have to view environmental limitations as the end of the American imagination. Our generation will face challenges that our parents never dreamed of and we must meet these challenges with both technological innovation and a willingness to reinvent our lives. Simply sustaining a population of millions that has become dependent on cheap fuel will require moderation and restraint, but it will also require unprecedented creativity.
At the heart of McKibben's work is the fundamental question of who we are as a people. We must confront the upcoming energy shortage with a sincere examination of our relationship to the planet that we inhabit and most importantly, our relationship to each other. The individualism that drives our economy has proven devastating for the planet, and it has alienated us from our local communities. But as the travel economy become too costly to sustain, local communities will take on new importance.
Fortunately, as college students, we're ripe for the sort of existential crisis that an oil-depleted future will require. We must enter the real world with concern not only for our own personal success, but also with an awareness of global trends and willingness to promote change. I'll miss spontaneous road trips to nowhere, but anything that brings down Wal-Mart can't be all bad.
Cari Lynn Hennessy's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at chennessy@cavalierdaily.com.
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