My decision five years ago to move to Washington DC was complex, and based on a variety of factors. In the end it came down to one simple fact: the opportunities were better for me where there were more people. Better career options, better overall economy, public transportation so I could get rid of my car – everything I was looking for both in my profession and my lifestyle.
Not everyone feels this way, sure. There are excellent reasons for living in a rural or suburban area, but demographics aren’t on your side if you’re buying up speculative real estate in, say, Nebraska. By 2050, most people in industrialized countries will live in cities. There are a variety of reasons for this, but at the heart of it is the fact that the mythology of rural America is, well, mythological. As Tom Vilsack points out, there is a lot of poverty in rural America, but “a lot” isn’t significant when we’re talking national public policy, high stakes and competing resources.
For those that care about addressing climate change, there’s an ongoing debate about whether urban or rural life is more sustainable. For global warming alarmists, I’d hypothesize that your individual belief on this comes down to whether you think there’s any reasonable chance at saving industrialized society or whether you think people should start working on saving themselves and their families. If the former, then you’re more likely to think that smart people should congregate in cities, maximize our collective brainpower and start working on solutions to the most massive tragedy of the commons in history. If the latter, you’re more likely to see the value of moving to the country, buying solar panels and learning how to farm.
(Of course, the only reason we’re talking about any of this stuff right now is the oil price spike, which was inevitable once the economy started growing again. Washington’s typically myopic response is to worry only about short-term prices and propose a solution that will have no substantive impact.)
I’m still agnostic as to how precisely our society will react to global warming, because through technology and info wars we have successfully hidden the current impacts from most people. However, this won’t be possible forever, and it’s anybody’s guess when and how we really start to react as a society. I haven’t given up, which is why I’m here in DC working for renewable energy rather than learning to garden in the rural Midwest. (Though I hear the urban gardening thing is taking off around here.)
There are a lot of benefits to living in the city. Ultimately, people are moving there because it makes sense for a lot of reasons. This isn’t to argue that everyone should move, just that people should not kid themselves about rural (or urban) myths, and be honest about how you want to build your life before deciding where you want to live. Living in the right (or wrong) place will ultimately affect your life in a big way.