OK, so the title is pejorative – it was intended to be. The screen capture of the PlanetSave portal is representative of what I want to talk about, there’s nothing specific about it (or the legions of other web destinations) I want to single out other than the core message of “save the planet.” If you read this blog often, you know I’m pretty concerned with renewable energy and conservation activities, but this one message: “save the planet” has got to go.
Why you ask? Because the planet can take care of itself. Mother Earth will outlive every single homo sapien. And, unless we find a way to pulverize the planet, Earth will recover from the human infestation within a couple of hundred thousand years after our demise. Ask the dinosaurs about how the planet needs saving…it doesn’t.
What we need to do is save the humans from ourselves. That’s a different message, it’s more personal and it’s more accurate. I now believe that it’s not even about saving your grandchildren or your children, it’s about saving yourself. Why would I say that? Having watched different sorts of systems degrade over my lifetime, the degradation can be loosely bucketed into what I’d like to call decline curve and sudden descent. There is a common root between the two as they both start out as decline curve (if one can detect the decline) and then some trigger is reached when sudden descent occurs.
The “save the planet” message leaves people with the notion that we’re in a decline curve (I agree) but there is little sense of urgency because the impacts will be felt long after the current people crop is gone. That may not be the case, it may be that we’re trundling along the decline curve and the triggering event for sudden descent has happened or will happen shortly and the impact will affect you, in your lifetime.
So, while I applaud the work that PlanetSave and others are doing, I just think we need to adjust the message and make it personal. Unless something impacts us directly, it’s often too abstract to catalyze action. Tweet
[…] this year I wrote an entry entitled “Screw the Planet, Save Yourself” – if I had known about this George Carlin routine at the time, I would have included it […]
You raise a valid point–that the planet doesn’t need saving per se, but Planetsave is meant as a portal for darker green individuals — we acquired it with the intent of developing it along with and in contrast to other portals that are aimed at the “green curious” and mainstream audience.
I’d love to chat more about the issue. Drop me a line.
Thanks,
David
Publisher, GO Media
Hi David,
When I wrote this entry, it wasn’t really directed at Planetsave per se, it was simply the latest messaging that catalyzed the entry. I believe what you’re trying to achieve is noble and I do support it, I simply believe the messaging isn’t quite right.
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment.
Cheers,
mh
Totally agree. Even the marxist fist in the air is tired and polarizing. As long as conservationists (environmentalists) can be linked to a “liberal” agenda easily by these types of emotionally charged images, we will be fighting a fight that is a distraction and waste of resources. The Rush Limbaugh crowd is generally not capable of higher abstract thought. Why are we making it easy for them to attack us? Environmental responsibility must be made part of our DNA as a nation in the same manner as the right to vote. It must be part of what it means to be an American. That requires appealing to the members of society on several levels: desire for social justice, desire for economic prospertiy, individual moral responsibility, civic duty, and last but definitely not least, unadulterated self-interest. The messaging must penetrate at all levels if we are to succeed. Do you want to be “dark green” or do you want to achieve your ends? I believe that for the near term, these are unfortunately mutually exclusive.
Tracy, thank you for the very thoughtful comment. I agree wholeheartedly with what you lay out, it’s more articulate than what I was able to convey in the original entry.
[…] about Earth? Don’t. This really should be “save the humans from themselves day.” Earth will be just fine long after we’re gone… Share This […]