"Stop worrying the planet will be fine." says the Good Human (whose blog slogan is "Don't blow it - good planets are hard to find")
"...It's us that I am worried about".
Maybe not my generation (but maybe my generation), but definitely the children of today and their children need to be concerned, whether or not there will be an environment that is supporting of human life with dignity. And unless you are an "Apres moi, le deluge" (Nach mir die Sintflut) type of person, it makes sense to think about solutions, define goals, implement strategies and tactics how to change from the destructive and exploiting status quo to a more environmentally benign life style.
Maybe not my generation (but maybe my generation), but definitely the children of today and their children need to be concerned, whether or not there will be an environment that is supporting of human life with dignity. And unless you are an "Apres moi, le deluge" (Nach mir die Sintflut) type of person, it makes sense to think about solutions, define goals, implement strategies and tactics how to change from the destructive and exploiting status quo to a more environmentally benign life style.
I believe that it's not too late yet. Yes, there will be some consequences to the choices we have made up to now, even if we went 100% climate neutral and to sustainable resource management right now. But the human race is resilient and we are capable of great things when necessity demands it. And the time is now.
Personal choices can not be the solution, if only performed by a minority of people. On the other hand, like Michael Pollon suggests in his article "...for us to wait for legislation or technology to solve the problem of how we're living our lives suggests we're not really serious about changing — something our politicians cannot fail to notice. They will not move until we do."
And we need our politicians to move. Because it's not just about personal choices. We need to re-think our transportation systems, how we design cities, our food supply chains, energy and our raw material management. That's a big task. Oh, and the whole world needs to be on board. This issue doesn't know any borders.
Honestly, the environmental crisis can be a depressing topic. Believe me, I have taken it to my heart and I felt the pain. On the other hand, me being depressed about this situation doesn't make it any better. I'd rather approach it optimistically - by doing what I can - one step at the time. And hopefully the leaders of this world will follow. Obviously they won't follow me literally, but thankfully I am not the only one. Paul Hawken in Blessed Unrest speaks about the Environmental and Social Justice Movement as the biggest movement in human history.
So this Earth Day I will take a minute and ponder: "What kind of future do I imagine for life on Earth?" And I will be optimistic.
Personal choices can not be the solution, if only performed by a minority of people. On the other hand, like Michael Pollon suggests in his article "...for us to wait for legislation or technology to solve the problem of how we're living our lives suggests we're not really serious about changing — something our politicians cannot fail to notice. They will not move until we do."
And we need our politicians to move. Because it's not just about personal choices. We need to re-think our transportation systems, how we design cities, our food supply chains, energy and our raw material management. That's a big task. Oh, and the whole world needs to be on board. This issue doesn't know any borders.
Honestly, the environmental crisis can be a depressing topic. Believe me, I have taken it to my heart and I felt the pain. On the other hand, me being depressed about this situation doesn't make it any better. I'd rather approach it optimistically - by doing what I can - one step at the time. And hopefully the leaders of this world will follow. Obviously they won't follow me literally, but thankfully I am not the only one. Paul Hawken in Blessed Unrest speaks about the Environmental and Social Justice Movement as the biggest movement in human history.
So this Earth Day I will take a minute and ponder: "What kind of future do I imagine for life on Earth?" And I will be optimistic.
1 Kommentar:
We can't destroy the planet, but the planet can sure destroy us!
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