The Ministry for the Future, Blog Post 3
The failure of combative action against the climate crisis is explored all throughout the novel The Ministry for the Future, and why people lack the ‘motivation’ to prevent environmental disaster. Countries are willing to turn a blind eye to disasters that happen in other parts of the world, for example, the deadly heat wave that massacred India (pages 1-12) at the start of this novel. Nations will offer ‘thoughts and prayers’ or some may send supplies to help the survivors, but they will not stop the actions that allow disasters like this to happen. These types of natural disasters linger over every nation and continent, but the powerful nations will not stop their production of pollution because the impact has yet to affect them. This ideology is present in every country and when individuals are asked why they do not believe climate change will be combated they state, “The narcissism of small differences… Means more regard for yourself than for your allies or the problems you both face” (page 505). This is the mindset that can be seen within the ‘rich and powerful’ nations, who in turn are the largest producers of pollution. The pollution they produce is from a life of comfort that they are used to. These nations do not want to give up the comforts they have grown accustomed to. It is the comforts of daily life that destroy the earth and environment the most. It creates large amounts of damage to the environment and natural elements in the world.
In addition, part of the answer lies within the national identity of each given citizen and nation. When one focuses on the American mentality, one can find an individualist motivation. Americans tend to be self-motivated and self-concerned focusing on the ‘me’ rather than the ‘we’. It is a mindset built into their society and perpetuated throughout history. This mindset is on full display at the beginning of the novel. Also, Americans are used to a form of geographical and ideological isolation from the rest of the world. From major conflicts, such as World Wars, territorial disputes, and other pressures America is always far removed from a given conflict. Until a conflict directly impacts or occurs within America the nation tends to watch from afar. When a massive flood hits the city of Los Angeles a local woman remarks on the impact of how the natural disaster has destroyed the city saying, “So as we were paddling in our kayaks, people were saying to each other, This whole f*****g place is gone! Everything is going to have to be torn out! The entire city of Los Angeles will have to be replaced” (page 279). A major American city is completely destroyed and damaged all because humans cannot give up parts of their polluting lifestyle. Not only have Americans lost a historically important city, but now they must face the financial cost of climate change too. This moment forces the American people to wake up to the reality around them. The message that climate change is here and happening has finally occurred on American soil. The issue has become real to Americans at this point, and now they can no longer ignore the problem. Climate change is a universal issue and if it is not treated as such there is no way to fight against it.
"The Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson explores why the fight against climate change falls short, pointing out that people and countries often lack the drive to prevent environmental disasters. The book highlights how nations tend to ignore disasters happening in other parts of the world, offering sympathetic words or aid but not addressing the root causes that lead to such crises, and thus furthering the issue. Furthermore, it emphasizes a mindset found in wealthy nations where a focus on personal comfort outweighs concern for global environmental problems. These nations, major contributors to pollution, are hesitant to give up their luxuries, despite the harm caused to the planet. As a result, the damage continues to spread, eventually contaminating even the nations that are hardly contributing to the issue.
ReplyDeleteThe American perspective is singled out for its individualistic approach, where self-interest often prevails over a collective concern for the environment. The novel illustrates how Americans historically distance themselves from global issues until directly affected. The destruction of Los Angeles becomes a turning point, forcing Americans to face the true consequences of climate change for themselves because “[i]f you didn’t get drowned right away then it was just a matter of holding on and waiting for relief” (Robinson, 278).
“The Ministry for the Future” urges its readers to see climate change as a problem that affects everyone and calls for a shift from a focus on personal interests to a global effort. Robinson emphasizes that we must work together to effectively tackle the environmental challenges threatening our world.
In The Ministry for the Future, Kim Stanley Robinson does not shy away from essentially scaring and shaming his readers into action. He begins the novel with an intense, graphic scene of a tragic heat wave in India where the citizens are in utter agony due to the heat (Robinson 21). We get to read a first-hand encounter of a potential threat to us in the future. Since Robinson made this portion of his book based around a character, Frank May, it allows the audience to get a better grasp of how urgent Robinson believes the climate crisis to be, and what he believes the consequences will be if no action is taken. In this way, Robinson successfully uses ethos to invoke an empathetic feeling with not just Frank and the Indian people suffering in the novel, but also with our future generations. The entire book is very explicitly a call to action by Robinson, and by setting the extremes of what could happen in regard to the global climate crisis, he likely will inspire readers to adapt to fix the impending situation.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Robinson does not use the emotional connections with the characters alone to connect with readers about the dangers of climate change. He frequently dedicates sections of the novel to purely listing certain agencies that are supposedly working towards a greener future, or he lists all of the attempts previously made that haven’t accomplished what they were intended to (Robinson 426). Despite this being the exact opposite approach of his previous pulling of readers' heartstrings, it is just as effective at putting a sense of urgency in readers to critically think about ways to fix this global issue. By showing his readers all of the attempts that have been made- and failed- due to ignorance and malice, Robinson urges readers to be part of the solution.