Mr. Williams, 24, is majoring in Environment and Social Change at HSU, and defeated contestants from the United States, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Serbia, and the U.K.
To overcome government inertia, his essay advocates community-based rather than consumer-based approaches to environmental policy. Contestants had to be in their final year of undergraduate study.
Mr. Williams entered the contest in connection with an HSU political science course offered in spring 2006 titled "Environmentalism and Political Theory" (PSCI 323), taught by Professor John Meyer, chair of the Department of Government and Politics.
Keele University's announcement praised Mr. Williams for "an articulate critique of the lifestyle-change approach to climate politics," noting that his citizen-based solution is rooted in republican'traditions of the common good and community politics. For Justin, the choice between government and individual responsibility is a false one: we need to think in terms of "organized communities" in a unified effort that transcends privatized individuals and insulated choices, the university said.
In the essay, Mr. Williams contends that the "living of the green life" by individuals will not meet the challenges of climate change because consumers control less than a third of United States energy directly; the bulk of energy consumption belongs to industry, commerce, and non-individual transportation. "U.S. consumers have little direct control over business and industrial decisions," he argues. Accordingly, "the perfection of lifestyle politics is unlikely to produce any significant impact on climate change."
The judges praised Mr. Williams for the understated and effective way in which he incorporated his learning into his analysis and conclusions.
Mr. Williams, who grew up in San Diego, designed his own major in collaboration with advisors Maxwell Schnurer (Assistant Professor of Communication) and David Campbell (Professor of Psychology), as well as Dr. Meyer.
Keele University, established in 1949, bills itself as the U.K.'s largest integrated campus university, with 5,600 full-time students. Like Humboldt State, it emphasizes interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary study.
Professor Meyer notes that, like many HSU students, Mr. Williams puts his academic pursuits to practical purposes. "He is active in the HSU Bicycle Learning Center and will become president of that organization during the 2007-2008 academic year. This is his second year here and he chose to attend Humboldt State because of the depth and breadth of its environmental focus and offerings," Dr. Meyer said.