Born in upper caste family, permanent job, inherited wealth these are some of the privileges. Since our society is based on capitalism these privileges are limited to few people. Those who get these never recognize they have that. If they realize it then they have to accept that 99% of the population is not getting it. Britishers who expanded the empire all over the world saw those land as empty waste lands and considered blacks as under developed human to justify slavery. These are some of the examples of privileged behaviors.
What about those who dont have privileges? in India 80% people living under Rs 20.00 rupees. What will be their thoughts? Its sure that it will be the pray about getting at least same amount tomorrow.
But there are some people dont belong to these 2 groups. They are privileged people. But part of their privilege is used for learning. The knowledge they acquire helps them to see the reality of the society. They uses their privileges, but at the same time tell the truth in public and use it for better life for all the people in the society with morality. Environmentalists are one among them.
Why a privileged person becomes environmentalist
They may can live like other privileged people with closed eyes. But some of them
abandoned their privileges and living a life with reduced footprint of small houses, no fashion, and public transport etc. most of them always get insult from the public for their poor lifestyle. (some may get a chance become celebrity. Then its a different story because capitalism will start worship them.) These people dont have to do this. Since they have the money they can live a luxurious life. Some of them does like that too without considering their footprint and using their full privileges. Then why this drama?
Environmental issues are political issues
capitalism like to portray environmental issues are personal issues. Its their trick. 90% of world water is used by agriculture and industry. What ever we do to save water in a personal level, that will be a game within this 10%. and much of that is used for maintaining golf courses? and gardens. Individual energy consumption is 1/4th of total energy use. Remaining is used for industry and trade. Just 100 companies are responsible for 70% of greenhouse gas emission. What ever you do personally that will be in that 30%. telling we are responsible for the issue is blaming the victim. Capitalism always does that trick. Every where they does that. So individual simple life cannot solve this big issue. But it doesn’t mean that we can have all luxury.
Importance of individual acts
All of our actions have environmental impact. So if an environmentalist want to make that impact to zero then he/she has to go to forest cave leaving all including cloths or he has to suicide. (how many years forests exists is a different question). But with that the idea of environmentalism itself dies in society. So all the issues that environmentalists warns will continue as it is or worse, without solving. That will end human life on earth. So the work of environmentalist are necessary for sustainability of society even if there are small environmental impact. I am not justifying laxury life of some environmentalists. Anybody can point out those errors. We have to give chance for them to correct those errors or give clarifications. This actually a test. By which society can find out bad people. But its a gradual progressive process.
Individual actions are very important. That has importance in environmental politics. For political issues there is only political solutions. Not individual solutions. For example to implement solution for global warming which is caused by 100 companies, we need political will. To raise public consciousness to that level our simple life is a good message. An act what Mahatma Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in others. But if a person cannot do that in his personal life we cannot cast him as anti environment or hypocrisy is wrong intentions. It is just a tactic to silence their free speech.
Environmental disaster is a problem of unprivileged
The issue that we call caste exists all over the world. Like capitalism caste also is a hierarchical system. Just 4 billionaires have more wealth than bottom 50% of world population. They are on the top. Below them at different levels rest of the people stays. At the bottom largest group of unprivileged poor people lives. Most of them are blacks, adivasis and ‘backward’ classes. This is our social structure.
In that place is, if an environmental disaster happens it will not be equally distributed. It’s hardly affects the privileged class. In some case even if it affected the privileged class, they can recover from it very fast and easily. But for unprivileged things will be different. As temperature roses in summer, privilege class did not see that as an issue. Because they buy fans or air condition. What happens to those unprivileged who don’t have money to buy fan? They have to suffer the burning temperature. This February last to May last 1,668 people in Kerala got sun burn. None of these are privileged. So unprivileged are the worst affected people of our altered development process. But most of the fruits of development is taken by the privileged class. This is called environmental injustice.
Take the example of Flint in America. None of the rich white man had to drink water that contain lead. Only Black, Latinos, and poor white people and their kids had to drink it. So the unprivileged have to suffer all environmental issues like air pollution, water pollution etc.
By showing the heavenly world of privilege class luxury life through movies, tv serials and social media the system creates a dilution in the unprivileged class that they also will get a better life. That delusion drives them to do restless heavy work without asking any question. In reality it is actually a need of the privilege class. But this dream world is not only dilution but it is suicidal too. Now Elon Musk and teams planing for the migration to Mars. It is 100% guaranty that in their space shuttles there will not be any unprivileged. Isn’t it?
We have only one earth. Now we are consuming it at a rate of 1.6 earth a year. That is if we all want to live like Americans we need 5 or 6 earth. There is one indicator called Earth Overshoot Day. It is about the consumption of the renewable resources of earth that can be produce in an year. During 2000 by September of that year we consumed all of that renewable resources for that year. When we reached 2016 we consumed all renewable resources that earth could produce was fully consumed by 8th August. We consumed all the reproducible resources for that year is consumed with 8 months. That meas remaining months we are running on debt. From whom we borrowing. No doubt, it’s from your own kids. you are looting the resource once your kids could use.
Responsibility of the privileged
high privileged people have more responsibility to the society. Because actually their privilege is just a favour from the remaining people. And in this 21st century we cannot live our life as it is. Because this a century of consequence. There is consequences for our actions. So what can a privileged person with some morality would do?
Long back only few in our society got the opportunity for education. But few privileged people protested and said it is wrong and all should get opportunity for education. Long back only few had right to use streets. But few privileged people protested and said, it is wrong and everybody should get the same rights. Similarly there were lot of issues. But majority of the public did not accepted those protests. They were attacked by the majority. But those brave people move forward with courage and determination. Time proved they were right.