Lecture Notes: Doug Holt

Notes from Lecture by Doug Holt, Oxford University - September 26, 2008

Marketing and social anthropology -> applying marketing perspective and analytical theory to social and environmental problems

- In order to reduce US CO2 output to be 'level with the rest of the world, the US would have to reduce CO2 output by 80-90% by 2040

- Why adpoting a personal green doctrine won't solve a national/global problem

* I find this really interesting - i have to agree that personal behavior and "good samaritan greenness" can only go so far. There has to be stronger incentives and more tangible consequences for changing collective behavior.

- What needs to happen from a policy perspective?

> Put a monetary value on carbon

> Value based on "badness" of CO2 generation

> Let the market take over - cap and trade scheme

- Why don't we have an effective social movement to instigate climate change?

> Nothing at the national level

- Critiquing WeCanSolveIt.org: climate change website

> Mass marketing campaign

> Al Gore as figure head presents problems -> Al Gore, a face with pre-set political implications

> Top-down fictitious march -> a cyber march. Why go all the way to Washington, when you can march online?

- Framing the movement: jobs/new economy, energy independence (kin to WWII, Apollo expeditions)

- Passive vs. active environmental/social diffusion (where people stand with environmental activism) The breakdown:

0.1% = Activists and scientists

10% = Local environmental activists

15% = Concerned passives

40 % = Weak knowledge, vaguely sympathetic

35 % = Anti-issue fatalists

> Cultural entrepreneurs instigate passive citizen sympathizers to become active

- Barriers to environmental social movement:

> Current cultural model of climate change (complexity, politicization)

> Current cultural model of mitigation (carbon consumerism, market naturalism, political culture)

> Leadership (lack there of)

> Efficacy (local v. national, no clear pathway to collective action)

- The US faith in science is not very deep

- Problem with "green laundry lists": free rider problem, measurement issues

- Reinventing the economy -> needs to happen! Not currently seen as an option

- Scale -> local action -> see and feel and touch 

- Structural limits -> cultural, political, physical... the list goes on...