By: Ren

Ren — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 23:05:45 +0000

The way I see it, the problem isn’t going away until society, global and local, decide that it isn’t about buying one thing to offset another, a quick fix to sweep it all under the carpet, or keeping up with the earth-friendly Joneses by buying Organic or a biodisel car. Corporations, businesses, governments, and individuals alike need to be held tangibly accountable by governments. This isn’t a problem that is going to just “go away” nor is it a problem that is going to be held at bay by a few clever green washing tactics. People are going to have to make some serious changes, and I agree more and more that doing things on the microcosmic level isn’t going to make a true difference. Asking for global change through people who can make change…is the only way anything will really move in a new direction (like here for example). People have to ‘really’ want it. Even with all the talk about environmental progress and change, it is a trendy thought. Our longterm solution isn’t concerned with polluting and saving polar bears…it is concerned with the all mighty dollar.Just look at China. There is a country that has developed rapidly economically, but didn’t have the foresight to manage the waste that has come of such growth. Respiratory and heart diseases related to air pollution are now the leading cause of death in China. Acid rain falls on 30% of the country. China surpassed the United States as the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, putting out 6,200 million tons, to America’s 5,800 million. Those figures are going to have to be cut by 25% by 2050, and by 75% by 2100 (even though they’ve been steadily increasing by 2% every year). I’m horrible at math…but it doesn’t take much to figure out that we are already in some serious trouble.

Comments on: Ice Sheets Speak: Do or Die

By: Ren