Thinking Globally and Thinking Locally

Environmentalism is a movement concerned with both the entirety of planet Earth and the very particular local places and systems of which it is comprised. This article attempts to connect a set of academic perspectives with which to understand and reflect on such scalar issues, tracking differences between the diverse scales and levels of moral attention to environmental problems. The work of ecological researchers and theorists offers a vocabulary for this task, and the writings of environmental philosopher Bryan Norton provide tools for applying such a vocabulary to moral concerns. Another important contribution comes from the Catholic principle of subsidiarity, which stresses the continuing importance of individual persons and local systems in a vast and globalizing world. Drawing on these diverse sources, this article advocates a multiscalar perspective on environmental problems, seeking to acknowledge and discern the ways different issues must be understood and approached at different scales.