Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumSix Myths About Climate Change that Liberals Rarely Question
Myth 6: There is Nothing I Can Do.
The problem is daunting; making changes can be difficult.[vii] But not only can you do something, you cant not do anything. Either you will continue to buy, use, and consume as if there is no tomorrow; or you will make substantial changes to the way you live. Both choices are doing something. Either you will emit far more CO2 than people in most parts of the globe; or you will bring your carbon footprint to an equitable level. Either you will turn away, ignore the warnings, bury your head in the sand; or you will begin to take a strong stance on perhaps the most significant moral challenge in the history of humanity. Either you will be a willing party to the most destructive thing humans have ever done; or you will resist the wants, the beliefs, and the expectations that are as important to a consumption-based global economy as the fossil fuels that power it. As Americans we have already done just about everything possible to bring the planet to the brink of what scientists are now calling the sixth great extinction. We can either keep on doing more of the same; or we can work to undo the damage we have done and from which we have most benefitted.
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-11-26/six-myths-about-climate-change-that-liberals-rarely-question
Unless the majority of people are will to make changes we are doomed. Not too many democratic party members are making those changes either. Some tough question being asked in this article. Ones we should all examine.
Xipe Totec
(43,888 posts)The tragedy of the commons can be considered in relation to environmental issues such as sustainability. The commons dilemma stands as a model for a great variety of resource problems in society today, such as water, forests, fish, and non-renewable energy sources such as oil and coal.
Situations exemplifying the "tragedy of the commons" include the overfishing and destruction of the Grand Banks, the destruction of salmon runs on rivers that have been dammed most prominently in modern times on the Columbia River in the Northwest United States, and historically in North Atlantic rivers the devastation of the sturgeon fishery in modern Russia, but historically in the United States as well and, in terms of water supply, the limited water available in arid regions (e.g., the area of the Aral Sea) and the Los Angeles water system supply, especially at Mono Lake and Owens Lake.
Other situations exemplifying the "tragedy of the commons" include congestion caused by driving cars. There are many negative externalities of driving; these include pollution, carbon emissions, and traffic accidents. For example, every time 'Person A' gets in a car, it becomes more likely that 'Person Z' and millions of others will suffer in each of those areas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons
daleanime
(17,796 posts)Good article, thanks.
GliderGuider
(21,088 posts)The author uses the first five myths to show us how there is nothing we can really do to change the outcome. Then in the last one he reverses course and says that even though there is nothing to be done, we must do something anyway. Hopium addiction is a terrible thing.
No thanks, I've got better things to spend my time and energy on.
4dsc
(5,787 posts)but bury our heads in the sands of time and ignore the problem as usual.