Solidarizing myself with the Blog Action Day initiative, here goes a short note on environmental awareness.
To begin with, my general and incomplete definition of Man: Arrogant and intrusive animal that disposes of nature as it pleases, without caring to consider other animals with as much right as ours to live and enjoy nature as they please it.
Of course, this is in general. Is there anybody out there that actually does care about nature? I’m sure there is. In fact, I’m sure there are many. I would go even further and bet that the number of people that actually cares about the environment is by far much more than the number polluting it. But then, what’s the problem? Are we too comfortable with the way we live and too indifferent to actually do something about it? Is our ‘caring’ enough? Evidently, it isn’t.
The world is a very unequal place. In general, the people suffering the greatest and harshest consequences due to the destructive activity of man in nature are those living in the poorest regions of the world, those who depend on the generosity of nature to make use of its resources and be able to subsist, those who live in countries that do not have the necessary legislation, or don’t have the means to restrain industries from indiscriminately polluting the environment, and those in countries that are generally the ones that contaminate the least.
Those in the industrialized countries, on the other hand, are the ones that suffer the least. These countries enjoy advantageous geographic locations, they are the strongest, the richest, and the best equipped and prepared to face the effects of our meddling with the environment. For instance, let’s take the case of global warming: These rich countries are located in their majority in regions of medium latitude, with climates not too cold nor not too warm, and are much more prepared to face these changing global conditions than the most vulnerable and poorest countries near the equator, which suffer the most regardless of the fact that are the least contributors to the accumulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The United States for instance, where agriculture represents only 4% of its economy, can endure a climate change problem with much more flexibility and easiness than, say, Malawi, where 90% of its population lives in rural areas, and 40% of its economy is based on agriculture...
All around the world there are examples that wealth enables some countries to better prepare against the gradual but constant destruction of nature, while poverty and geography condemns the most vulnerable regions of the world to suffer greater damages.
... and how unfair it is… these countries accumulated their wealth, at least in part, throughout a century of burning coal, oil, and other fossil fuels which are the base of their lifestyle and of their industries, and the resultant emissions are responsible for yet another preoccupation to deal with for the poorest countries.
Things that we can do:
* Live in green houses.
* Illuminate cities with LEDs.
* Use Internet to pay the bills.
* Live near the workplace.
* Prefer public transportation rather than a car.
* And if you need a car, then buy a fuel-efficient one as small as possible according to your needs.
* Don’t use plastic bags.
* Just use your imagination and common sense, and you'll come up with other ways to help the planet, and ourselves...
