He's not saying don't do anything. To use your metaphor, he's saying: Don't put a bandaid on it and claim you saved the man's life.
Moving towards personal sustainability is OK, but there is no use pretending it is a major fix. It is more of a start, a way to get people thinking about the world they live in. After that the real work must be done, and not just harm reduction, but actively fixing the things we've broke.
In fact the article points out one thing that struck me as particularly insightful: Current environmental thinking suggests we can only live in such a way as to harm our environment. This suggestion is way too convenient, as it reminds us all that we are sinners (environmentally). I think that maybe this sort of thinking is what bothers people about environmental types: it feels like religion, not any sort of fact based solution.
Environmentalism is a religion, no doubt about it. The full extent of my involvement and support is in raising taxes for things we want industry to produce and consume less of, period. Price signals in the economy will do the rest of the work. Piety not necessary.
Moving towards personal sustainability is OK, but there is no use pretending it is a major fix. It is more of a start, a way to get people thinking about the world they live in. After that the real work must be done, and not just harm reduction, but actively fixing the things we've broke.
In fact the article points out one thing that struck me as particularly insightful: Current environmental thinking suggests we can only live in such a way as to harm our environment. This suggestion is way too convenient, as it reminds us all that we are sinners (environmentally). I think that maybe this sort of thinking is what bothers people about environmental types: it feels like religion, not any sort of fact based solution.