In her seminal work "Eichmann in Jerusalem," Hannah Arendt introduced the concept of the "banality of evil," arguing that great evils in history were not executed by fanatics or sociopaths, but rather by ordinary individuals who accepted the premises of their state and participated in state actions without critically examining the consequences. Today, we face a similar crisis of judgment in our approach to climate change and environmental protection, one that I propose we call the "banality of green."
Just as Arendt observed that Eichmann was not a monster but rather terrifyingly normal, we must confront the unsettling reality that the environmental devastation wrought in the name of climate action is not the work of cartoon villains twirling their mustaches, but of well-intentioned policymakers, corporations, and citizens who have unquestioningly accepted a narrow, technocratic framing of our ecological crisis.
The case of nickel mining in Indonesia serves as a haunting illustration of this phenomenon. In the name of transitioning to clean energy and reducing carbon emissions, we have sanctioned the destruction of pristine forests, the pollution of rivers and coastal waters, and the displacement of indigenous peoples like the O'Hongana Manyawa. The individuals and organizations driving this destruction are not cackling evildoers; they are bureaucrats, executives, and consumers who believe they are doing their part to save the planet.
This "banality of green" manifests in several ways that echo Arendt's observations about the nature of evil in modern bureaucratic societies:
1. The Division of Labor and Diffusion of Responsibility: Just as Eichmann claimed he was merely a cog in the machine, not responsible for the ultimate consequences of his actions, so too do participants in our current system abdicate responsibility for the broader impacts of their choices. The consumer purchasing an electric vehicle, the policymaker setting targets for renewable energy adoption, the mining executive expanding operations to meet demand – each can claim they are simply fulfilling their role in the fight against climate change, without considering the holistic consequences of their actions.
2. The Elevation of Process Over Morality: Arendt noted how Eichmann and his ilk replaced moral reasoning with a focus on following orders and procedures. Similarly, in our climate action efforts, we have become obsessed with metrics, targets, and technological solutions, often at the expense of deeper ethical considerations. We celebrate reductions in carbon emissions without questioning whether the means to achieve those reductions are just or sustainable.
3. The Power of Ideology: Just as Nazi ideology provided a framework that normalized atrocities, the ideology of green growth and technological solutionism has created a context in which environmental destruction and social injustice can be rationalized as necessary sacrifices for the greater good of fighting climate change.
4. The Corruption of Language: Arendt highlighted how the Nazis used euphemisms and bureaucratic language to obscure the reality of their actions. Today, we see a similar phenomenon in the way terms like "clean energy" and "sustainability" are used to greenwash fundamentally destructive practices.
This banality of green poses a profound challenge to our capacity for judgment and moral reasoning. Like the subjects of Arendt's analysis, we find ourselves in a system where the normal operations of our economy and society lead to disastrous consequences, yet the very normality of these operations makes it difficult for us to perceive them as evil.
The tragedy of the O'Hongana Manyawa is not the result of malicious intent, but of a failure of imagination and moral reasoning on a societal scale. We have created a system in which it is possible to destroy an ancient way of life and a crucial ecosystem while believing oneself to be on the side of environmental protection.
To break free from this impoverished mode of thinking, we must reclaim our capacity for judgment and expand our moral imagination. This requires several steps:
1. Questioning Premises: We must critically examine the foundational assumptions of our approach to climate change, particularly the belief that we can address this crisis without fundamentally altering our economic system and way of life.
2. Embracing Complexity: Rather than reducing our environmental challenges to a single metric like carbon emissions, we need to cultivate a more holistic understanding of ecological and social well-being.
3. Recovering a Sense of Agency: We must resist the tendency to view ourselves as mere functionaries in a technocratic system and reclaim our capacity for moral reasoning and action.
4. Broadening Responsibility: Instead of allowing responsibility to be diffused throughout the system, we need to cultivate a sense of personal and collective responsibility for the full consequences of our actions.
5. Rehumanizing the Other: We must resist the abstraction of human and ecological costs into mere statistics and strive to maintain a concrete understanding of the lives affected by our decisions.
The challenge we face is not merely technical but existential. It calls into question our understanding of progress, our relationship with nature, and our responsibilities to one another and to future generations. Like the subjects of Arendt's analysis, we find ourselves in a moment where the normal functioning of our society leads to catastrophic results. The great task before us is to recognize this reality and to find the moral courage to imagine and create a different way of being.
In conclusion, the "banality of green" represents a crisis of judgment as profound as the one Arendt identified in the mid-20th century. Our response to this crisis will define not just the future of our species, but the fate of countless other beings with whom we share this planet. The path forward requires nothing less than a revolution in our thinking – a renewed capacity for judgment that allows us to see beyond the narrow confines of our current paradigm and to act with wisdom, compassion, and genuine responsibility for the world we are creating.