{"id":224,"date":"2020-02-16T21:52:06","date_gmt":"2020-02-16T21:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/?p=224"},"modified":"2023-08-17T18:18:42","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T18:18:42","slug":"can-humanity-be-a-we","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2020\/02\/16\/can-humanity-be-a-we\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Humanity be a \u201cWe”?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

David P. Turner \/ February 16, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The peer-reviewed literature and the popular media\ntoday abound with concern about human-induced global environmental change.  Articles often argue that global scale\nproblems require global scale solutions: humanity is causing the problem and\n\u201cwe\u201d must rapidly implement solutions.  Environmental\npsychologists have found that people who sympathize with or identify with a\ngroup are energized to support its cause. \nCan a majority of human beings identify with humanity in a way that\nmotivates collective change towards global sustainability?      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s consider several key constraining factors and\nunifying factors relevant to making humanity a \u201cwe\u201d with respect to global\nenvironmental change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constraining Factors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notable sociopolitical factors that impede global\nsolidarity include the following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.  Climate\nInjustice among Nations  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the process of their development, the most\ndeveloped countries burned through a vast amount of fossil fuel and harvested a\nlarge proportion of their primary forests, hence causing most of the observed rise\nin atmospheric CO2<\/sub> concentration. \nBut these countries are now asking the developing countries to share\nequally in the effort to curtail global fossil fuel emissions and deforestation\nto prevent further climate change.  At\nthe same time, the impacts of climate change will tend to fall most heavily on\nthe developing countries because of their lower capacity for adaptation.  The developing countries are pushing back on\nthe basis\nof fairness<\/a>, e.g. the outcome of the Kyoto\nprotocol<\/a> (albeit now obsolete) was that only the developed countries\nmade commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Rising Nationalism<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economists generally agree that economic globalization\nhas spurred the global economy and helped lift hundreds of millions of people\nout of extreme poverty.  However,\nglobalization of the labor market beginning around 1990 has also meant a large\ntransfer of manufacturing from the developed to the developing world \u2013 and with\nit many jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, immigration is helping millions of people a\nyear find a better life by leaving behind political corruption, resource\nscarcity, and environmental disasters.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, one effect of economic globalization\nand mass immigration has been political backlash within developed countries in\nthe form of populism and nationalism.  Hypersensitivity\nto loss of national sovereignty is not conducive to international agreements to\naddress global environmental change issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.  Climate\nScience Skeptics<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the global scientific community is broadly in\nconsensus about the human causes of climate warming and other global\nenvironmental change problems, the rest of the world is more divided.  Most people in the U.S. accept that the\nglobal climate is changing, but only\nabout half accept the scientific consensus that climate warming is caused by\nhuman actions<\/a>.  Sources\nof skepticism about climate science include religious beliefs and vested\ninterests.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.  Economic\nInequality<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wealth\ninequality<\/a>, both within nations and\namong them, is a pervasive feature of the global\neconomy.  The rich end of the wealth\ndistribution contributes to the vested interests problem as just noted.  At the poor end of the wealth distribution,\nthe hierarchy of needs discourages concern for the environment; solidarity with\nthe fight against climate change is a luxury when you are starving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These four constraining factors are deeply rooted and\nare only the head of a list that would also include competition for limited\nnatural resources and geopolitical conflict. \nIt is daunting to think about overcoming these obstacles to a \u201cwe\u201d that\nincludes all of humanity.  There are\nsubstantive ongoing research and applied efforts (not documented here) to\novercome them, but in a general way let\u2019s consider some equally significant factors\nthat may help foster a global \u201cwe\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unifying Factors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following rather disparate set of factors supply\nsome hope for human unification under the banner of environmental concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.  Our Genetic Heritage<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humans are social creatures.  Sociobiologists, such as Harvard Professor\nE.O. Wilson, have argued that many of our social impulses are genetically\nbased.  We have an instinctual propensity\nto identify with a particular social group, and to draw a distinction between\nthat group (us) and outsiders (them). \nThe average ingroup size during the hunter\/gatherer phase of human\nevolution, which largely shaped our social instincts, is believed to have been\nabout 30 people.  Remarkably, the size of\nthe social group that humans identify with has vastly expanded over historical\ntime \u2212 from the level of tribe, to the level of village, empire, and the modern\nnation-state.  Conceivably, that capacity\ncould be extended to the global scale:  we\nmight all eventually consider ourselves citizens of a planetary civilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The historical expansion of social group size was\ndriven in part by military\nconsiderations<\/a>  \u2212\nthe need to have a larger army than your neighbor.  Obviously, this rationale breaks down at the\nglobal scale, but a distinct possibility for inspiring global solidarity is the\nlooming threat of global environmental change. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note that being a citizen of the world does not\nrequire rejecting one\u2019s local or national culture.  Multiple\nsources of identity<\/a> could include being an autonomous\nindividual, being a member of various ingroups, and being a member of humanity\nin its entirety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.  The Advance\nof Earth System Science<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A conspicuous general trend favorable to achieving a\ncollective sense of responsibility for managing human impacts on the Earth\nsystem is growth in our scientific understanding of the Earth system.  From studies of the geologic record, scientists\nknow that Earth\u2019s climate has varied widely, from cool \u201csnowball\u201d Earth phases\nto relatively warm \u201chothouse\u201d Earth phases. \nGreenhouse gas concentrations have consistently been an important driver\nof global climate change, which gives scientists confidence that as greenhouse\ngas concentrations rise, Earth\u2019s climate will warm.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scientific community also has expansive monitoring\nnetworks that reveal the exponentially\nrising curves for metrics<\/a> such as the atmospheric CO2<\/sub>\nconcentration.  Earth system models that\nsimulate Earth\u2019s future show the dangers of Business-as-Usual scenarios of\nresource use, as well as the benefits of specific mitigation measures.  At the request of the United Nations, the global scientific community<\/a>\nperiodically assembles the most recent research about climate change, the\nprospects for mitigation (i.e. reduction of greenhouse gas concentrations), and\nthe possibilities for adaptation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If improved understanding of the human environmental\npredicament can filter down to the global billions, we might hope for a\nstrengthening support for collective action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.  The Evolution\nof the Technosphere<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technosphere<\/a>\nis a new global-scale part of the Earth system. \nIt joins the pre-existing geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and\nbiosphere.  However, just as the\nevolution of the biosphere was a major disturbance to the early Earth system,\nthe evolution of the technosphere is proving to be disruptive to the\ncontemporary Earth system.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around 2.3 billion years ago, cyanobacteria evolved\nthat could split water molecules (H2<\/sub>O) in the process of\nphotosynthesis.  The resulting oxygen (O2<\/sub>)\nbegan to accumulate in the atmosphere, radically changing atmospheric\nchemistry.  Oxygen was toxic to many\nexisting life forms, but eventually micro-organisms capable of using oxygen in\nthe process of respiration evolved, which in time led to the evolution of multicellular\norganisms (and eventually to us).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of technosphere evolution, a process that\nemits excessive amounts of CO2<\/sub> (combustion of fossil fuels) has\narisen, which is altering the global climate and ocean chemistry in a way than\nmay be toxic to many existing life forms. \nOne potential solution is that the technosphere can further evolve (by\nway of cultural evolution) to subsist on renewable energy rather than\ncombustion of fossil fuels, thus moderating its influence on the atmosphere,\nhydrosphere, and biosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A characteristic feature of technosphere\nevolution<\/a> is ever more elaborate means of transportation and\ntelecommunications.  These capabilities \u2013\nespecially the on-going buildout of the Internet \u2013 allow for increased\nintegration across the technosphere and tighter coupling of the technosphere\nwith the rest of the Earth system.  Sharing\nresults of environmental monitoring<\/a> in its many dimensions over\nthe telecommunications network can help with creating and maintaining\nsustainable natural resource management schemes.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the popular news and social media, nearly\neveryone in the world can learn about events such as regional droughts and\ncatastrophic forest fires that are associated with climate change.  It is thus becoming easier to have a common frame\nof reference among all humans about the state of the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is not yet anything like a global consciousness\nthat coordinates across the whole technosphere. \nHowever, the Internet is facilitating the emergence of a global\nbrain<\/a> type entity.  One\nindication of what the nascent global brain is thinking about is the relative frequencies<\/a>\nof different search terms on Google. \nInterestingly, in the algorithms that determine the response to search\nengine queries, a high frequency of previous usage for a relevant web site\nmakes that site more likely to reach the top of the response list.  That process is evocative of learning, i.e.\nreinforcement through repetition.  Similarly,\nthe Amygdala\nProject<\/a> monitors Twitter hashtags.  They are classified according to emotional\ntone, and a running visual summation gives a sense of the collective emotional\nstate (of the Twitterers).  Advances in artificial\nintelligence and quantum computing<\/a> may soon improve the\nmodule in the global brain that simulates the future of the Earth system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.  The\nExpanding Domain of Human Moral Concern<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In \u201cThe Slow Creation of Humanity<\/a>\u201d, psychologist Sam McFarland recounts the history of the human rights movement.\u00a0 Writer H.G. Wells, humanitarian Eleanor Roosevelt, and others have helped develop the rationale and legal basis for including all human beings in our \u201ccircles of compassion\u201d (Einstein\u2019s term).\u00a0 The concept of rights has now begun to be legally extended to Nature (in Ecuador) and specifically to Earth<\/a> (in Bolivia).\u00a0 Since protecting the rights of Earth (e.g. to be free of pollution) clearly requires that humans work collectively, we come to an incentive for global human solidarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, these four unifying factors are only the start\nof a list that might also include global improvements in education, as well as\ngrowth in the activities of global non-governmental environmental\norganizations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The field of Earth\nsystem science<\/a> is producing an increasingly clear\nunderstanding of the human predicament with respect to global environmental\nchange.  Scientist know what is happening\nto the global environment, what is likely to happen in the future under\nBusiness-as-Usual assumptions, and to some degree, what must change to avert an\nenvironmental catastrophe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process of changing the trajectory of the Earth\nsystem<\/a> cannot be done unilaterally.  From the top down, an important step will be\ngenesis or reform of the institutions of global governance \u2013 including institutions\nconcerned with the political<\/a>,\neconomic<\/a>,\nand environmental<\/a> dimensions\nof governance.  This is a task for a\ngeneration of researchers, political leaders, and diplomats.  From the bottom up, individuals must be\nbrought around as adults, and brought up as children, to adopt an identity that\nincludes global citizenship and associated responsibilities for the global\nenvironment.  This is a task for a\ngeneration of educators, religious leaders, and business leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If \u201cwe\u201d human dwellers on Earth don\u2019t gain a collective identity and begin to better manage the course of technosphere evolution, then we may no longer thrive on this planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommended Audio\/Video<\/strong>, Mother Earth<\/a>, Neil Young<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David P. Turner \/ February 16, 2020 The peer-reviewed literature and the popular media today abound with concern about human-induced global environmental change.  Articles often argue that global scale problems require global scale solutions: humanity is causing the problem and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9521,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1390737],"tags":[1393898,1393901,1393905,97135,1393902,1393897,1393896,1393899,1393900,1393907,2206,2213,1389001,1393904],"class_list":["post-224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-long-form","tag-climate-justice","tag-climate-skeptics","tag-cultural-evolution","tag-earth-system-science","tag-economic-inequality","tag-global-sustainability","tag-humanity","tag-nationalism","tag-populism","tag-rights-of-earth","tag-rights-of-nature","tag-sociobiology","tag-technosphere","tag-technosphere-evolution"],"yoast_head":"\nCan Humanity be a \u201cWe"? - Taming the Technosphere<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Articles in the peer-reviewed literature and popular press often argue that global scale environmental problems require global scale solutions: humanity is causing the problems and \u201cwe\u201d must rapidly implement solutions. 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Let\u2019s consider several key constraining factors and unifying factors relevant to making humanity a \u201cwe\u201d with respect to global environmental change.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2020\/02\/16\/can-humanity-be-a-we\/","og_site_name":"Taming the Technosphere","article_published_time":"2020-02-16T21:52:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-17T18:18:42+00:00","author":"David Turner","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David Turner","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2020\/02\/16\/can-humanity-be-a-we\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2020\/02\/16\/can-humanity-be-a-we\/"},"author":{"name":"David Turner","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/#\/schema\/person\/726aa4cfbbbb981d2a393604b94c0588"},"headline":"Can Humanity be a \u201cWe”?","datePublished":"2020-02-16T21:52:06+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-17T18:18:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2020\/02\/16\/can-humanity-be-a-we\/"},"wordCount":1894,"commentCount":0,"keywords":["climate justice","climate skeptics","cultural evolution","Earth system science","economic inequality","global sustainability","humanity","nationalism","populism","rights of Earth","rights of nature","sociobiology","Technosphere","technosphere evolution"],"articleSection":["Long Form"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2020\/02\/16\/can-humanity-be-a-we\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2020\/02\/16\/can-humanity-be-a-we\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2020\/02\/16\/can-humanity-be-a-we\/","name":"Can Humanity be a \u201cWe\"? - Taming the Technosphere","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-02-16T21:52:06+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-17T18:18:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/#\/schema\/person\/726aa4cfbbbb981d2a393604b94c0588"},"description":"Articles in the peer-reviewed literature and popular press often argue that global scale environmental problems require global scale solutions: humanity is causing the problems and \u201cwe\u201d must rapidly implement solutions. 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