Erica Hsia

Honors 100
9 November 2015
Global Challenges, Interdisciplinary Answers
Throughout his various graduation speeches, Farmer analyzes the values of innovation,
imagination, compassion, partnerships, and thinking "fractally . Specifically, he focuses on experiences
from his travels to Haiti and how these values differ in this less developed country compared to his
personal experiences. Working together as a country to improve these values is how the author believes
that societies like Haiti can better their conditions and recover from the disastrous state they were in after
being hit by an earthquake. From his plethora of advice, it is evident that Haiti was an eye-opening
experience that allowed him to draw conclusions from and educate others .
A global challenge not directly addressed in this reading is sustainability and the current
exponential amount of global warming created from human activities . Farmer most likely avoided
addressing this issue because Haitians do not contribute a large amount to this issue . The unfortunate part
of this issue is that no matter if one contributes to global warming or not, the actions of others still affects
them. In other words, though one person may have a small carbon footprint, someone elses large carbon
footprint still affects everyone else. However, the world will suffer if the environment continues to spiral
downwards in the manner that it has been.
I believe that if the world works together and agrees upon partnerships to improve upon this
situation, positive change can occur. Only a decade ago, the environment stood in a much better state
than it currently does, simply because the world population consumed and wasted less. Granted, certain
countries account for more global warming than others, but overall efforts must be made globally not just
nationally. One country attempting to achieve environmental sustainability will only create a dent in the
issue, so the world must work cohesively to create change . Countries also need to realize and accept that
change occurs over time, so we must approach this issue while thinking fractally. Sustainability is a
long-term process that has worsened over several years, so it will similarly take decades to recover from.
Sustainability to improve global warming is also a multi-faceted issue that must be thought about on
several scales at once.
Another approach to solving this issue involves imagination and innovation in that if a whole new
method towards improvement is developed, then society could sustain the environment in multiple ways .
With the amount of research completed nowadays, there is constant evolution of technology and ideas, so
with an issue as impactful as global warming in the environment, it only seems logical that a new solution
will soon arise. The two biggest contributors to global warming are the United States and the European
Union, but these are two developed countries that have the potential to create a new innovative solution
for this worsening problem. If society becomes increasingly unsustainable as it recently has been, then in
twenty years we will face severe issues that may be impossible to recover from . Therefore, to avoid this
disaster and to make this improved future a reality, the world must work together to implement alternative
solutions towards a sustainable environment.