Question

What does Diamond argue we ought to do to address our current ecological crisis? Contrast Smith’s view of we ought to do with Diamond’s.

Answer 1

Jared Diamond, the man who made the phrase “east-west axis of orientation”. He explained that human population on continents with a primarily east-west orientation benefited from a more consistent climate and therefore developed quickly than those living in continents with a north-south orientation. Diamond identifies 12 major environmental problems that are potent of doom : destruction of natural habitats, reduction of wild food, loss of biodiversity, erosion of soil, depletion of natural resources, pollution of freshwater, maximising of natural photosynthesis resources, introduction by humans of toxins and alien spices, artificially induced climate change ad finally overpopulation and its impact. According to Diamond there is separate definition for society and collapse. Collapse can refer to complete extinction, population crash, resettlement, civil war, anarchy or even just the demise of a political ideology. Society is equally vague; refer to settlement, nation, state and an island. Diamond’s goal is historicizing our understanding of the relationship between society’s development and its environment to prove that two impulses are not antithetical.
Smith is worried about the climate change and the broader ecological crisis and tried to find out solutions. He says that population growth is at the root of the most serious environmental problems. Smith tries to prove that “people equal pollution” concept. The world’s population is growing at an exponential rate. Endless population growth is not sustainable or desirable on a finite planet. He says that quickest way to address population is to address poverty; the rich westernised countries created the ecological problems and argue ‘the god of capitalist economic growth is a false god’.
Economic development and environmental policies are closely related. Most of the countries focused on sustainable development. The policies framed on basis of to reduce the harmful affect the environment. The ecological crisis is a complex mix of dangerous trends. The concept of ‘green capitalism’ attain major role in the development strategies of several countries. This green capitalism is one of the small grassroots enterprise offering local services, solar housing, organic food markets etc. Here the corporations have been alert to opportunities for making environmentally positive adjustments where these coincide with standard business criteria of efficiency and cost reduction. Both of these environmental economists promoted the need of sustainable development with special reference to the environment protection. Diamond focus more on the prominent environmental problems while, Smith explain that problems giving preference to the economic activities. And Smith tried to find solutions for that