The Problem of a Global Environment

Although I agree that it is certainly is difficult to enact environmental change when a number of people don't consider themselves "environmentalists" for the reasons that Stephen and Emily listed. But I think the most pressing challenge facing the global environment is that it is global. What one country does effects everyone. An attempt to change the way we interact with our environment must be global in order to have the desired effects. Furthermore, if one country tries to reform and reduce its dependency on oil that will lead to less demand for oil. The drop in demand on the global markets will make the cost of oil go down, thus making it more cost effective for other countries. This then means that the global oil use will inflate right back to its original levels despite the conservation of a single nation. It's our intertwined economies and fates that ultimately make this so challenging.

Building off of what my group-mates have said in regards to the Fish article, I think it is tricky to be an "environmentalist" in today's society. Public transportation is virtually nonexistent in many cities across the US and sometimes one is endangering themselves while biking. Even things within our reach, like buying locally grown food or a windmill in our backyard have an extra cost upfront. Though they may benefit us in the long-run, especially in terms of being able to sustain life on this planet, it's hard to see the long-term benefit as we are trying to balance our checkbooks. Fish goes further than just the cost problem of many "environmentally friendly" items and explains that he down right prefers the products that taste better, that he can just throw away, or that give off more light despite their extra toll on the environment. That sort of discussion is honest, but also explains our need for comfort. It's hard to think about future generations when your stomach is grumbling for a good bacon cheeseburger. It's just this sort of thought that is standing in the way of protecting our environment to ensure that there will be enough resources for future generations.

-Quinn Pregliasco