I remember leaving a certain supermarket feeling like I had done my part for the environment after being asked to pay ten cents for a recycled bag because they were not giving out plastic bags anymore. While walking home with my chin up, what I feared least happened. The trusted, environmentally friendly recycled bag gave way. It decided to not be so friendly now.
It got me thinking, about all the ‘green’ campaigns in the limelight. Is it just another money making effort for corporations to make them look ‘socially responsible’ and get some coverage in the media or is it a genuine interest of the individual in making the world a better place?
Everyone wants to live in a clean and safe world, where they can admire everything mother nature has to offer and hope the same for their children. Any individual can make a difference. Whether you talk to a friend about the environment or you speak on national television, you’re changing minds and making people think about the consequences of their acts.
Incorporating some environmentally friendly habits is not difficult. Having those habits imposed upon someone can be difficult especially when it comes with some inconvenience and a price tag. For example the recent announcement of incorporating a carbon tax to curb carbon emissions so as to make sufficient progress in dealing with Global Warming. Would imposing a tax actually help people believe in the core of the cause or just steer them away from it?
Speaking of Global Warming, Michael Crichton in one of his books wrote a fictional piece to highlight some of the issues that may or may not exist with the current theories related to Global Warming. His work was slammed as being incorrect and non relevant.
If you search on the web, there are plenty of articles from different sources discussing the various theories of Global Warming. There are many disputes on some the claims which are not reported on television and newspapers or are simply ignored.
There is no real scientific debate going on and that any research is driven by an agenda.
One point that Crichton drives at is that research is funded by either the power companies or the environmental societies. Therefore, the research will be swayed by whoever funds it.
My take is, we do not know enough about the environment or have sufficient concrete data to state that there is or isn’t Global Warming. Many people reduce carbon emissions blindly or just because they are asked to without understanding the reasons and implications.