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Classwork 5-7
English 220: Introduction to Writing about Literature
Nature and the Modern World
Post your summaries here.
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
Group 3: Madinabonu Turgunova, Umar Ali
Pages 7 and 8:
On page 7, Klein believes that if the climate crisis was a more well-informed topic by the general public, it would be better aided, and with that being said, the aid in climate crisis can have a wide array of benefits to the well being of humanity. To Klein, acting upon such an issue can remedy the “unjust economic system” and “destabilized climate system” at the same time. A key quote “They have also been the excuse for extreme crackdowns on civil liberties and chilling human rights violations.” (Klein 7). Through intense research, Klein has also found that certain businesses have taken advantage of the somewhat damaged economic system through influencing the acts of lifting certain regulations, cutting social spending, etc. The climate crisis has been taken advantage of. On page 8, the author mainly discusses how corporate businesses are taking advantage of the climate change crisis, stating how certain companies are advertising themselves and taking advantage of people`s fears. For example, it states, “Expanded business opportunities are likely to arise as consumer behavior and needs change in response to climate change… demand for its military products and services as security concerns may arise as a result of droughts, floods…” (Klein, p.8). This clearly shows how even in the midst of a climate crisis, private companies are focusing on making profits based on people`s fears and panics. The author also provides examples of how Global insurances are making quite a profit from selling services to under-developed countries.
Jessica and Doris
(I only have my portion here)
In these two pages, the main idea is the author talking about all of the invalid reasons or excuses that people have over trying to find a solution for problems like climate change. She discusses how people do not see real, larger threats but covers that up using smaller problems that are not as threatening. People are so invested in small problems that they disregard the larger, more important problems. One example of an excuse that people give is that even if they bring attention to the problem and try to find a solution, different countries will never agree upon one solution. This is seen as flawed because she states that previously, the United Nations had helped countries agree on one solution to problems. She also dismisses the excuse that people do not have the advancements in technology that will allow them to find solutions to problems. This is because humans chose to use technology in order things such as leisure and convenience rather than actually using technology to make a difference or solve a problem.
Climate change hasn’t received the crisis treatment from the political elite despite the vast changes and damage it has the potential to bring. The recommendations of scientists for us to cut our greenhouse gas emissions are ignored and treated as though they may be put off indefinitely.
Few strategies Klein provides to fight Climate change are through the Marshall Plan and mass global movement. By acknowledging climate change as a crisis, it will cause the ”political class to respond”. Klein conveys the idea that people have to accept the effect that climate change has on the global atmosphere and causing a domino effect.
Rachel E Ng. and Jannatul
Ricky and Kevin:
We decided to write about the first two pages of Naomi’s article. These first two pages set the scene for the rest of the paper by describing an incident in which a plane sank into the tar pavement of its runway. The plane had been bound by tar due to “very unusual temperatures”, which Klein uses as a prompt to further discuss climate change. To illustrate an example of an effect of our rising global temperatures, Naomi notes that although the temperatures that day were unusual, the way in which they were unusual was not. They were a record high, but so was the temperature last year, and the temperature in the following year.Klein goes on to cite several other examples in which climate change had been an effect of the capitalistic values of said business. For example, the Mississippi River which had experienced a drought only due to the free market business that had no regard for the pollutants they were producing.
Doris Chen
Jessica Cen
(Combined portion)
On page 14-15, Klein mentions how we already have the tools to not rely on fossil fuels anymore, but there are still groups that rely heavily on fossil fuels despite having other options. She asked the question, “Is it human nature that holds us back?”(15), which shows how people are willing to accept the fact that fossil fuel emission does harm the environment, but they are not doing anything to change. They willingly accept this fact and continue living their normal lives because they are used to using fossil fuels already, making them not want to change anything. She discusses how people do not see real, larger threats but covers that up using smaller problems that are not as threatening. People are so invested in small problems that they disregard the larger, more important problems. One example of an excuse that people give is that even if they bring attention to the problem and try to find a solution, different countries will never agree upon one solution. This is seen as flawed because she states that previously, the United Nations had helped countries agree on one solution to problems. She also dismisses the excuse that people do not have the advancements in technology that will allow them to find solutions to problems. This is because humans chose to use technology in order to do things such as leisure and convenience rather than actually using technology to make a difference or solve a problem.
Liora and Leora
In her book Klein gives real life examples of how climate change can be seen in our lives. She gives the example of a plane not being able to take off due to the hot temperatures outside.This heat is a result of the burning of fossil fuels. Klein states that when this incident was mentioned in the news nothing about the climate was mentioned at all. People like to deny climate change or say “science was too complicated and that the environmentalists were dealing with it”. In general people like to pass responsibility to others instead of taking action and doing it themselves. When dealing with climate change people like to think that others will be helping the climate so they don’t need to or think that they won’t be able to make a big enough difference that it is even worth it to try.
Raihanul Bhuiyan and Syeda Jannath
pages 18-19
In this part of the text, Naomi Klein explains how gas emissions have contributed to global warming. For a long time, as technological advancements and “market integration projects” have been made, there has been only a steady increase in the amount of emission. She explains how apparently it is due to the excessive use and consumption of sources like fossil fuels. She elaborates the effects of fossil fuels in the atmosphere, claiming that the rise in carbon has created a steady rise in warmth and temperature due to trapping more heat. Because of how far we have gotten, it would be a struggle for “free” markets to reduce the amount of emission. Thus, she points out how the economy is at “war” or shaped and contradicted by the resources provided by our planet. Klein starts to provide solutions like “low-carbon sectors” to expand jobs and “high-carbon sectors” to encourage contract. However, even this isn’t much of a solution but a problem as well. Simple solutions can be provided but a lot just aren’t feasible because of how deep we have gotten with the issue. One thing that must be completely eliminated, however, is the denial that has caused this collective disruption in the first place.
Madison, Alicja, and Teuta:
Pages 14-15
We are accepting that our bus fares go up and our services are failing and we accept that our services are failing so why can’t we accept using renewable resources that’s beneficial to the earth. If we agree on allowing all these bus fares to go up, why can’t we accept the increase in the price of energy. He states “ We accept that we have to pay dramatically more for the destructive energy sources that power our transportation and our lives. We accept that bus and subway fares go up and while service fails to improve or degenerates.” These quotations show that we can improve and the money won’t matter; it’s the will power that matters. We need to have enough willpower to be able to change.
There is failure to regulate emission of fossil fuels, even after numerous attempts were made by the United Nations in order to prevent the proliferation of these harmful chemicals. Klein argues this issue by bringing forth methods such as using power from renewable resources in order to “give us a chance of averting catastrophe.” During times of war, people are able to give up qualities as their freedom is valued, but are unable to do so when the threat of climate change is brought up. Humans play a large role in the inability to reverse these effects. Using renewable resources will cause products to increase in price, such as subway fares rising, in turn causing backlash from the general public. Klein claims their failure to understand this circumstance and fighting for these services, which will make these commodities more expensive, is ultimately going to benefit the population.
Although many claim that it is impossible to have all countries reach an agreement in climate change policies, the United Nations has done an adequate job in tackling issues such as “ozone depletion and nuclear proliferation.” Moreover, in the long run, climate change is indeed possible as long as everyone makes efforts to cut down their emissions by resorting to greener practices such as growing local gardens and using public transport more often. Klein refers back to the efforts to reduce fuel consumption in World War II as an example of how widespread effort is possible and will be necessary in the face of this growing climate crisis. We make sacrifices in our lifestyle and decisions every day as our taxes and such already go towards “the destructive energy sources that power our transportation and our lives,” but in our willingness to perpetuate climate change, we must also make equally important sacrifices to allocate our money towards greener technology and practices. Thus, we should not allow austerity politics to hinder our money from being spent on more accessible and environmentally friendly policies and programs.
Page 139-140
Leora Kimmel
Liora Shalomayev
This Changes Everything is as much about the psychology of denial as it is about climate change. “It is always easier to deny reality,” writes Naomi Klein, “than to allow our worldview to be shattered, a fact that was as true of diehard Stalinists at the height of the purges as of libertarian climate deniers today.” Much of this book is concerned with showing that powerful and well-financed rightwing groups lie behind the denial of climate change in recent years. There is not much reasonable doubt as to the findings of science on the subject. As a result of human activities, large-scale climate change is under way, and if it goes on unchecked it will fundamentally alter the world in which humans will in future have to live. Yet the political response has been at best ambiguous and indecisive. Governments have backed off from previous climate commitments, and environmental concerns have slipped down the policy agenda to a point at which in many contexts they are treated as practically irrelevant. It’s not just the political elites that try to deny climate change, many of us try to brush it off too or make a joke about it, mainly because we are scared to fully realize that change is necessary.
On page 10, Klein addresses the fact that those in a higher position with the means to solve the issues of climate change are not doing so. They have had years of discussions based on possible changes yet no plans are actually followed through with. The younger generations have now become the face of the climate change movement and made outraged at the lack of support they receive, “you’ve failed to meet pledges, missed targets, and you’ve broken promises”. Carbon dioxide levels were proved to be 61% higher showing that the young people’s voice are heard and dismissed. Klein later states that it clear that we have no support and are on our own.
Donnai & Kristina