Many in America experience the Good Life with me, we all have the freedom to consume as much as we want. Our government’s definition of economic strength, GDP, is determined by the amount of spending and therefore consumption throughout the year. GDP here and across the world is increasing; the Good Life is reaching more and more. The expansion of the Good Life can also be seen in global poverty data, which shows less people living under the poverty line. If more people are experiencing my freedom to consume, which brings so many wonderful luxuries, why are political theorists like Dipesh Chakrabarty pessimistic about the global future?
Chakrabarty, in his essay “The Climate of History”, discusses the Good Life, high mass consumption, and its effect on fossil fuel use. Gas is used in every purchase because of shipment and transportation. Most electricity produced is generated by burning coal. With …show more content…
This is an example of the government defying big business to combat climate change. However, the pipeline was vetoed meaning it passed through the House and Senate. A Republican president might not do the same. Furthermore, while President Obama vetoed the Keystone Pipeline, he and congress did not enact any carbon emission taxes, a policy which the left has strongly advocated. In the foreseeable future there will be hesitant indecision by the government on issues of climate change as to appeal to both the public and oil