I was really struck by the idea of the spaceship economy that was discussed in Wennerlind and Johnson. This week’s readings argue that our inability to view the global economic system as a spaceship economy stems from the widespread belief in a Cornucopian Earth with an unending supply of resources. I also think, from a scientific and engineering standpoint, there is a certain level of optimism that we can engineer our way out of the climate crisis, or at the very least enable humans to keep surviving in a damaged climate system. As someone who is interested in environmental engineering, I too want to believe in the ability of science to salvage this crisis, but the framework posed by the spaceship economy makes it clear that this is not a viable solution. On a spaceship, no science or technology will save the crew once they have run out of food. If we view the Earth in this way, then maybe there will be a greater sense of urgency to address the underlying social, political, and economic issues that drive climate change rather than rely on science and technology to save the day. Although, from this week’s readings, this seems like it may be an even more difficult task. Sure - as Malm discusses - we can recognize and call out who is actually to blame for the current state of the climate, but what does this do to actually address the issue? I think this is my biggest question when it comes to studying climate-related histories - how can we actually use this knowledge to fight climate change? From my further exploration, it became even more obvious how hard it will be to implement change due to the neoliberal conditions of the current economic system. Even institutions like Swarthmore that are supposed to be founded on principles of social justice, environmental stewardship, and civic responsibility are not willing to put moral imperative over profits. If we live in a society where the idea of fiduciary responsibility supersedes all else, then we will never be able to make the necessary changes to create a more sustainable economic system.