Dickinson to Durban » Climate Change
Only Collectivism Can Save the Climate
What can each of us do in our daily lives to reduce environmental harm? For many years now, the environmental movement has dedicated itself to providing answers to this question: recycle, drive less, plant a tree, and the list continues. Greenpeace has even put together the handy guide “How to Save the Climate”, which provides a large range of actions one can take to make your contribution. If everyone just did their own part, we could save the planet. Right? Not quite. While recycling and planting trees are definitely activities we should encourage, they will not save the planet. All of these actions are ways for an individual to reduce the harm he or she causes to the environment – the problem, however, is that individuals are not killing the planet, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
Small is Possible
Planting a tree, carbon free commuting, composting, recycling. All things that are good practices and things that more people should be doing but a single person doing these things will not stop Global Climate Change. Many say, on the other side, that the only way that we can hold Global Climate Change where it is or from getting to much worse is to have a complete overhaul of governmental action and policy. Again, this is absolutely something that needs to happen and needs to happen fast. The debate that I always find myself in when I think of the dispute between which is more important to happen is that, without governmental change, will there be behavioral change? Or vise versa, without behavioral change, will there be governmental change? I believe that the answer is no in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
Building a Platform
The spring right after I turned seven I planted a tree. It was a small white pine, and I patted it into my great grandfather’s backyard with my own little hands. Since then I have watched the tree grow from the window of that little house. I remember feeling like I was connecting with something as I planted the tree. I was connecting with the tree, with nature, with my future. I knew, innately, that I was doing a good thing. And I wanted to do it again and again. I don’t think that planting one tree will save the world. No more than I think that buying a sustainable dishwasher or riding a bike instead of a car will stop climate change. But I do not deny that it is important. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Mosaic Action
Do the Little Actions Matter?
I have always operated under the belief that the actions of individual people can amount to global change. After all, society is the product of every individual’s way of life. Thus, society will only be altered when enough people believe change is necessary and act on those beliefs. Our society has caused the phenomenon of anthropogenic climate change to occur, so as Greenpeace argues, we should be able to slow climate change through our actions on a personal level. In Greenpeace’s article, How to Save the Climate, they list changes individuals ought to make to their everyday lives in order to live more sustainably. When each person reduces their annual carbon dioxide emissions to 1.3 tons, climate change will not continue to amplify (Greenpeace, 6). After reading this article, I … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
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