Global Resources Depletion and Environmental Degradation; Can Systems Localization Solve our Climate Crisis?
Overview:
In the state of things today, the depletion of our natural resources occurs far more rapidly than its replenishment.
The problem of the depletion of resources used in production on a global scale is critical, as can be seen in discussions of issues such as: declining freshwater resources, peak (crude) oil, loss of soil fertility, and shortages of crucial minerals like zinc, copper, and phosphorus.
Erosion, pollution and contamination of resources, deforestation, and slash-and-burn agricultural practices are equally concerning.
Conventional environmental analysis believes that the primary causes of this issue are overpopulation and overshoot of earth’s carrying capacity. While many like to debate the legitimacy of overpopulation theory, the subject of overshoot is undoubtedly relevant and applicable to our times.
As a species, humans have bought into an idea that there are no limits to growth. Truthfully, most of us aren’t inherently and intrinsically capable of thinking systemically, and overshoot is the fundamental flaw of our processes.
It must be realized that our planet is indeed finite, and as our population grows, so must our industry for circular economics, agriculture, energy use, and other systems.
In-Tension:
The installation tied to these writings functions as a statement to our insufficient systems and our destruction of the resources on which our lives depend. The act of taking flowers from the sculpture mirrors our active daily participation in limited resource usage, waste and pollution.
Of course, we don’t think much of it while we’re doing it.
This is because our usage of resources is tied to the global market; much of our materials, food, resources, and energy are outsourced from other global superpowers and conglomerates.
So much of our resources and materials are processed and manufactured by these massive corporate entities, from which they will sell products to countries all over the world. How else would you support such a fast-growing population?
The thing is, this system only understands infinite growth, resources, and profit. Our economy and systems are built on a model that only considers consumption with limited return.
As a community, energy security should be our biggest goal, which is why I believe that we should explore more localized systems for our local communities. Sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and healthcare can all be explored on a local scale, provided these can find the funding and support needed from our community.
My goal with this installation is to encourage maximized impact, rather than the ‘minimized impact’ that people are often sold. Individual scale doesn’t really do anything, cutting things out doesn’t do anything, we must take larger action by changing the flawed systems in which our communities are founded.
The story of being human is how we share our energy. Self-interest and individualism isn’t what’s going to prolong our species’ existence, its connectedness.The magnitude of environmental degradation that we face today is at a breaking point, and the can cannot be kicked any further. We must consider options that will sustain future generations.
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