Arnie Naess talks about the differences between "deep ecology" and "shallow ecology." Deep ecology looks for the roots of the ecological crisis in deeply held human attitudes towards nature. Saes said "consumarism is a source of our alienation from nature." People only care about their needs and will overconsume on things. They do not realize the damage it is causing, and I believe this is a huge reason why we are in an environmental crisis. We need to have a deep personal commitment to change, but can people do that?
Shallow ecology is the technocratic solutions to environmental problems. People are trying to find the way to solve our environmental problems. Naess has a clear recognition that technology is not enough, a basic shift in attitude is needed. I think most people are shallow ecologist, they are are always trying to find a way to fix it, but it is not that easy.
I think we humans do overconsume, we should have more consideration towards nature as well as ourselves. The world has made it so easy to overconsume that it would be difficult to stop. The only way to make a difference is by appreciating our surroundings meaning nature, and wanting to make the change. We will have to want it for us to be able to do it.
Oh! Prime example of shallow ecology: the heavy marketing of hybrid/electric cars. Is electric the solution or should we -gasp!- drive less?
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