Signs of severe environmental degradation abound on both a local, regional and global scale. Air too dirty to breath, contaminated water sources, aquifers running dry, melting ice caps, increased frequency of flooding, more intense hurricanes... If the above signs of the times are not enough to make us aware of the severity of the environmental crisis all what we have to do is read the dire reports issued by the scientific community all over the world that warn us that business as usual is not an option. The latest such report was released only two days ago in Britain where scientists do not think that we will be able to contain the global warming to the targeted 2 degrees centigrade. Any increase above that is considered to be dangerous.
Yet we do not seem to be overly concerned. Why is that?
12 comments:
when the average person watches the news, for example, and sees a story about bombing overseas that killed americans or a teenager killed by a drunk driver or a suicide in their town, its makes a temporary impact on us but for the most part we have to move on from it. we cannot think about it all day everyday. i think this is our universal attitude now-a-days when it comes to weighing problems on a global, futuristic scale opposed to those that affect our own lives, family, jobs, etc.. so these environment problems that might not affect us in our lifetime, to the average person trying to make ends meet for themselves and then their children, maybe get overlooked because they are so grand and overwhelming. i dont think it means we are naive about the severity of the problem, it's just that everyone has their own personal "problems" to deal with. but...if the earth has a problem, you would figure maybe people would realize without an earth, we wouldnt even be able to have any personal problems. so maybe the problem involving the protection of the earth is a little more important....
Excellent remark Larry.
When will we act? I wish I knew the answer to this question, because then I could make it come that much faster. I, like Larry, believe that people are far too consumed with their own lives. We are self centered beings, only worrying about how we are going to find enough money to fill our Hummers each day or find the time to cook dinner. I wish there was a way to show people that environmental degradation will effect us greatly; that our lives will be, if not already affected by our selfish actions.
Unfortunately I do not think that our civilization will realize the extent of these issues until it is too late. I feel that a “crash” must occur before we will realize how serious our situation really is. We are the hysterical in-laws who need to be slapped into recognition; then and only then will we act. We must be scared, threatened and privileges must be stripped from our capitalistic hands before we give into the cause. Then and only then will be motivated to change. When we are personally touched by the hand of global warming, will the goggles of consumer happiness be stripped from our eyes. 8u)
I have to agree with what's being said in "When Will We Act?" People aren't really taking action and dont really seem to care about all the horrific events that are taking place. At the same time I feel that it's hard for us to really do something to save our Earth. We go on living our daily life and there's so much taking place that we have no time to really worry about the stuff that really matters, which is saving our planet.
Its sad but true that until these environmental problems directly effect peoples everyday lives that the majority of people aren't going to change their ways unless they feel directly threatened. What I think we need to do is educate people better by letting them know if everyone sits around and waits until something drastic happens its going to be too late to make a difference and stop this environmental degragation.
I think a part of the problem is that the solution requires answers to many of the questions that we have not solved yet. For example, overpopulation continues to be a growing problem as the world reaches carrying capacity, but it seems like there are no simple ways to resolve or reverse this issue. Similarly the consumption of fossil fuels are contributing a tremendous amount of pollution, but people will probably continue to drive everyday because there are not many more prevalent alternatives.
The environment is an especially complicated issue to deal with because of the absence of a general agreement about the degree of severity and what to do about it. A lot of the changes required are drastic and the general population is either not ready to make that kind of commitment, or it just looks as if it is too much to deal with. Many people do not even recognize environmental degradation as a legitimate concern, and it is difficult to change apathetic views.
The reason why we don't act, or don't act fast enough is because people are too worried about how there life is going as of that moment, and don't stop to think about their future. Some poeple don't even turn on the news and don't even know what is going on around them; if they can't see it, they hardly care about it. lately many celebrities have joined in to inform people all over that we do have a problem of Global Warming, and if we care enough about our future we should act now and fast. some celebrities include: Leonardo Dicaprio, Will Ferrell, and even Al Gore. Movies have been made to attract people to the problem: The 11th Hour, and An Inconvinient Truth. These movies have opened some poeple's minds, hopefully. A while ago we were informed that our ozone layer has a whole in it, and not many people cared about it because they couldn't see it with the nakes eye. They figured if it was really bad something would have happned already, but that's the thing it is happening; it's happening slowly, and we won't do anything about it until it is too late to change anything.
When will we act? After reading this post and the comments that followed I remembered a unique article I once read called “Four Visions of the Century Ahead,” by Robert Costanza. In this article he talked about how the world acts towards the environment and where we end up in the future depending on which route we take. He gives two optimistic views, one being realistic and the other far-fetched. Costanza also gives two pessimistic views, again one being realistic and the other to the extreme. The first optimistic view is the Star Trek one in which we create nuclear fusion, solve most environmental problems, and colonize space to lesson overpopulation. The Mad Max view is a pessimistic one in which oil is depleted and the world consists of famine and war over water. It has exhausted resources and disease, and the world is run by transnational corporations due to weak governments. The Big Government is more realistic with family planning to slow down overpopulation and nuclear fusion developed slowly after safety precautions. The government also steps in when corporations do not abide to what they want. The final view, Ecotopia, is one that embraces sustainability. The government focuses on the environment and pollution and entire living habits are changed dealing with habitats and transportation.
The reason I mentioned this article is because it is a good way to envision where we will be at in the future depending on when and how we will act. How will we act towards environmental degradation and the warnings that Mother Nature is giving us? I believe that the world is on the right track with globalization and with some laws aiding the environment. However, our progress is entirely too slow, and many of our efforts are just meant to slow down the inevitable rather than to prevent it entirely. That inevitable conclusion is a crash. I too believe that something massive has to occur in order to make us realize the immensity of the problem. Technology can only save us for so long. I do not believe that nuclear fusion and space colonies are realistic for the near future. Instead, I believe there will be a paradigm shift that will put us in a world that we can exist in. Although it may not be a perfect ecotopia, it will be a way to survive. But how will we get there? Will there be revolution and world war to fully globalize the planet? Will nations and government systems crumble? These are all possibilities, however, the real question is will these disasters or sacrifices be enough to save the world, and leave us with our home, Earth. I would like to hope that my generation has learned from the mistakes of previous ones and will contribute more time and effort towards the environment. We truly need to start thinking more about our future generations and stop taking so much from them here in the present.
I feel that many people do not care about the environmental crisis because they have been informed that it will not affect them directly. Regardless, people need to be be less selfish and realize that we need to make the effort to improve the condition of the environment for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come. We need to take responsibility for our actions. Humans are to blame for the pollution in this world and have destroyed the habitats of millions of plants and animals. If the entire human race does not in some way take part in restoring the planet, all life will most likely become extinct, possibly sooner than predicted. A little bit of effort can go a long way. I agree with what others have said regarding people being too consumed in their own lives to consider how their bad habits affect this planet. Being resourceful is very easy, and its not that people are not informed of how they can do their part, its that they do not care enough to make an effort.
This is kind of off topic but it's somewhat relevant..
This past Sunday I went to the Bronx Zoo. They have a polar bear and his exhibit area is all rock. It was pretty hot that day and I noticed he was just pacing back and forth between his two entrances back into his "cave" so to speak (his indoor cage area) to get out of the sun. The zoo had shut his doors to keep him out and on display for people to stare at him. I used to love the zoo but this past weekend I almost left after seeing that. But anyway, it made me think how people from all over would visit a City and spend $25 a piece to see a polar bear but wouldn't spend 25cents to help protect it or any other animal for that matter in its natural habitat. This reminded me of what Professor Karam said about the plant on Indian Point and how people want it gone but wouldn't be willing to give $75 a piece to make it happen. There's so much green advertising now, it seems like everybody claims to be down for the cause but basically no one would ever do anything significant if it meant going out of their element or spending their "hard-earned" money. What also amazes me is that Earth gives us each, hopefully, a good number of years to survive and prosper, and it has given mankind millions of years. In return, we give the Earth one day a year in april.
People should read this.
Actually, 70% to 80% of the regional populace wants Indian Point to stay in operation, and to express this approval, tens of thousands of households ( comprising 100% of the local population) gladly pay from $75 to $375 per month in electric bills.
But, I guess Professor Karam forgot about this.
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