I think the most important global environmental problem is CO2 emission especially in developed countries. As many people now recognize, most developed countries have large emission of carbon dioxide (China and India as well). We all know that we have to do something with this issue to stop global warming, however, the CO2 problem seems a little unrealistic since we are not really having influences on our everyday life directly. The CO2 emission issue has been discussed among nations, however, it is obviously not easy thing to find a good solution to this and acheive goal of reducing emissions. I think that countries still need to discusss about the emissions of CO2 to find a better solution to this. I also think that not only governments but also each person needs to be aware of the environmental issue and think of what we can do for reducing CO2 emission such as using public transportation rather than driving own car (especially if you are living in a city).
I think that people who live in an environment friendly way are aware of the importance of nature and resources. They know that the nature and resources are limited. So they try to live without wastes as possible. People can bring their own shopping bag instead of getting new one whenever they shop. People can put another cloth on instead of turning the heat up. Those things seems a little inconvenient but they are things what people can do in everyday life without making a lot of efforts. I think that people should encourage each other to do those things.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Discussion - Week 2
1. What, in your mind, is the most important global environmental problem? Why?
When I think about what is doing the most harm to our environment, the first thing that springs to my mind is similar to what many others have said in their own blog posts: over-consumption, along with the waste that it produces. I feel that we have fairly well covered that topic, but we have only talked a little about just what it is that causes us to consume so much and be so unaware of the impact we have on the environment. I think several things contribute to the way people in industrialized societies treat the environment: lack of knowledge about the environment; detachment from the source(s) of the things we consume; and detachment from the areas being most negatively effected.
Our lack of knowledge stems from the fact that, while we may learn the three R's in school and have a vague understanding of how the environment works, students in our society generally don't have intimate knowledge of how the environment works. We don't really learn where all of the material that makes our buildings and cars and toys comes from. We don't generally have to deal with our waste, because we throw it away and trucks come along and drive it off and we never see it again. It would probably help if students in industrialized society were taught a little bit more about the environment.
We are also far removed from the places that our materials and food come from. Because we live in an industrialized society, we simply go to the store to buy food. We don't need to work to grow it, we simply need to work to make money for it. Similarly, we don't grow trees to make lumber for buildings, we simply have someone else cut down the forest and dig out the quarries and build our homes and office buildings for us. The forests being destroyed are far away, so we don't even notice that there aren't any trees left. (But someone else certainly does...)
We are also detached from the places that receive our waste and are hardest hit by the drain of resources. Because we live in the core nations (according to world system theory), we essentially get everything we need from the periphery, and when there is a shortage in the world, we don't really notice; we simply drain the periphery of its resources even faster, increasing both input and output and hurting the environment even further.
Essentially, the biggest problem facing the environment today is that the people who are hurting it the most often don't realize it. Industrialized societies are getting the benefits of the harm we do to the environment; underdeveloped societies are paying most of the costs and seeing the worst of the effects of our waste.
When I think about what is doing the most harm to our environment, the first thing that springs to my mind is similar to what many others have said in their own blog posts: over-consumption, along with the waste that it produces. I feel that we have fairly well covered that topic, but we have only talked a little about just what it is that causes us to consume so much and be so unaware of the impact we have on the environment. I think several things contribute to the way people in industrialized societies treat the environment: lack of knowledge about the environment; detachment from the source(s) of the things we consume; and detachment from the areas being most negatively effected.
Our lack of knowledge stems from the fact that, while we may learn the three R's in school and have a vague understanding of how the environment works, students in our society generally don't have intimate knowledge of how the environment works. We don't really learn where all of the material that makes our buildings and cars and toys comes from. We don't generally have to deal with our waste, because we throw it away and trucks come along and drive it off and we never see it again. It would probably help if students in industrialized society were taught a little bit more about the environment.
We are also far removed from the places that our materials and food come from. Because we live in an industrialized society, we simply go to the store to buy food. We don't need to work to grow it, we simply need to work to make money for it. Similarly, we don't grow trees to make lumber for buildings, we simply have someone else cut down the forest and dig out the quarries and build our homes and office buildings for us. The forests being destroyed are far away, so we don't even notice that there aren't any trees left. (But someone else certainly does...)
We are also detached from the places that receive our waste and are hardest hit by the drain of resources. Because we live in the core nations (according to world system theory), we essentially get everything we need from the periphery, and when there is a shortage in the world, we don't really notice; we simply drain the periphery of its resources even faster, increasing both input and output and hurting the environment even further.
Essentially, the biggest problem facing the environment today is that the people who are hurting it the most often don't realize it. Industrialized societies are getting the benefits of the harm we do to the environment; underdeveloped societies are paying most of the costs and seeing the worst of the effects of our waste.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Environmental Destruction Is Avoidable
I believe that the most important environmental problem is definitely consumption. The amount of resources on this earth are enough to feed the entire population equally and substantially. I think that if people just consumed enough so that there was a little less waste, then we would be able to make it work and live sustainably. People are always going to use the earth for in every way that it can serve them, it is just about using resources wisely. Environmental degradation is and will be in the future caused by excess waste that humans produce. Just because there are more people, it does not mean that environmental destruction is inevitable. I, myself, am a large consumer and I consume enough to poison the earth with my waste. If everyone lived like me, we would need almost seven planets. This to me is important and I think that if we all made an effort to consume at a comfortable level with no too much excess, or recycled everything, even clothing, then we would be alright.
Living in an "environmentally friendly" way means that we live in such a way that we are conscious of the amount of resources we are using in ratio to the amount of people on the earth that go wanting. Recycling, reusing, and reducing the amount of waste that we have is all a part of living in this way. I try my hardest to be conscious about how much I am consuming and wasting. I do not preach to others about being environmentally aware, but I know very few people who are completely apathetic to environmental issues and concerns.
As for the questions Prof. Nicholson posted, I think that biggest environmental problem today is consumer waste. The amount of plastic used to package the simplest things, like toys or groceries for example is atrocious. Then, when you think about the products we buy that we dont even need, or gas that we guzzle and emit back into the atmosphere, its no wonder we're at an environmental crisis. The underlying problem is that we are all under the impression that what we do as individuals does not really affect the environment as a whole, when in truth, when we all think that way, we do irrevocable damage to our planet. This is why to live in an "environmentally friendly" is the key to making any type of improvement in our environment. This means to take active steps in reducing your ecological footprint: recycling, walking and watching "An Inconvenient Truth" lol. This is not only doing it yourself, but also encouraging others, especially in your household and immediate environment to participate as well.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
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