Hairshirt environmentalism (or hairshirt-green) refers to the idea that the environmental problems faced by society can be addressed by limiting the consumption of resources.

Etymology

hairshirt A cilice , also known as a sackcloth, was originally a garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair (a hairshirt) worn close to the skin. It is used by members of various Christian traditions (including the Catholic, Lutheran, A ...

(or

cilice A cilice , also known as a sackcloth, was originally a garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair (a hairshirt) worn close to the skin. It is used by members of various Christian traditions (including the Catholic, Lutheran, A ...

) is an undergarment worn to induce discomfort, and thereby lead the wearer to spiritual purity, salvation, or atonement for sin. Similarly, hairshirt environmentalism refers to the belief that denial of material comfort will lead to environmental sustainability.

Usage

This term is often used in a derogatory way in reference to the

anti-consumerism Anti-consumerism is a sociopolitical ideology that is opposed to consumerism, the continual buying and consuming of material possessions. Anti-consumerism is concerned with the private actions of business corporations in pursuit of financial and ...

present in the environmental movement. The central argument for this usage is that conservation alone will not be enough even if substantial numbers of people can be convinced to conserve, and that not enough people can be convinced to conserve for it to make a substantial difference. It is also used by those having interests in promoting throwaway consumerism to accuse well-meaning environmentalists of stifling personal freedoms. Famously, former Vice President

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...

said "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy." This term is also used by environmentalists who believe changes in technology, or society itself are necessary to make a substantial difference in

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...

, and that merely using less of the same technology within the same societal structure will not nearly be enough.

Bruce Sterling Michael Bruce Sterling (born April 14, 1954) is an American science fiction author known for his novels and short fiction and editorship of the ''Mirrorshades'' anthology. In particular, he is linked to the cyberpunk subgenre. Sterling's first ...

, in his final closing note of the

Viridian Design Movement The Viridian Design Movement was an aesthetic movement focused on concepts from bright green environmentalism. The name was chosen to refer to a shade of green that does not quite look natural, indicating that the movement was about innovative des ...

noted "Hairshirt-green is the simple-minded inverse of 20th-century consumerism. Like the New Age mystic echo of Judaeo-Christianity, hairshirt-green simply changes the polarity of the dominant culture, without truly challenging it in any effective way. It doesn't do or say anything conceptually novel – nor is it practical, or a working path to a better life."Viridian Design Page
/ref> In Sterling's case, this is clearly not meant to be derogatory to the environmentalist movement as a whole, but rather a challenge to think of transformative ways of changing our society's energy use – not merely gradual ones.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hairshirt Environmentalism Environmentalism