Eco-Footprint?
Everyone seems to be talking about the cost of goods nowadays. With crude oil hitting US$145 per barrel, I doubt things are going to get any better. For the higher price for crude oil will translate into higher prices for electricity, airline tickets and a myriad of consumer goods that need to be shipped to your local store. Another thing is that with the astronomical price of crude, many are turning to bioethanol and biodiesel as alternatives. Unfortunately, most of the world's biofuels are derived from food crops. Hence, if they are used to feed biofuel demand, there will be less of these crops for food.
Maybe some can see a pattern here. Yet, I am wondering why so few are concerned about this trend. Our world seems to be addicted to conspicuous consumption. Not necessary or needed consumption, but consumption to feed someone's ego. It is a sad state, when we have to eat something that does not contain any nutritional value, so as to stay trim. Why not just skip that meal? Similarly, we are addicted to our cars and other trappings of luxury. Perhaps we should be looking at our footprint on this earth.
For as long as we are not able to undertake interplanetary travel, we have to make do with what the earth can offer. Yet, we plunder her natural resources as if they are limitless, and throw out waste and pollutants like they have no consequence. Yet, we know that resources are limited (some are already near exhaustion), and pollution is growing. Perhaps most people have not felt the pain of these consequences, to make informed decisions.
When are we going to start weaning ourselves from our addiction to an ever-growing demand for energy, and an ever-increasing penchant for producing waste? When are we going to start reducing our environmental impact? It is not just the carbon footprint, I am talking about, but our entire ecological footprint. So, while people think about nuclear power to reduce carbon emissions, do they even think about the nuclear waste, which is highly toxic and radioactive?
Perhaps, instead of thinking of alternative fuel sources, we should be considering energy efficiency, and if the energy use is necesary. Instead of generating so much waste, could we instead reuse and recycle? If it is not to save ourselves, perhaps we should consider the legacy we leave?
Maybe some can see a pattern here. Yet, I am wondering why so few are concerned about this trend. Our world seems to be addicted to conspicuous consumption. Not necessary or needed consumption, but consumption to feed someone's ego. It is a sad state, when we have to eat something that does not contain any nutritional value, so as to stay trim. Why not just skip that meal? Similarly, we are addicted to our cars and other trappings of luxury. Perhaps we should be looking at our footprint on this earth.
For as long as we are not able to undertake interplanetary travel, we have to make do with what the earth can offer. Yet, we plunder her natural resources as if they are limitless, and throw out waste and pollutants like they have no consequence. Yet, we know that resources are limited (some are already near exhaustion), and pollution is growing. Perhaps most people have not felt the pain of these consequences, to make informed decisions.
When are we going to start weaning ourselves from our addiction to an ever-growing demand for energy, and an ever-increasing penchant for producing waste? When are we going to start reducing our environmental impact? It is not just the carbon footprint, I am talking about, but our entire ecological footprint. So, while people think about nuclear power to reduce carbon emissions, do they even think about the nuclear waste, which is highly toxic and radioactive?
Perhaps, instead of thinking of alternative fuel sources, we should be considering energy efficiency, and if the energy use is necesary. Instead of generating so much waste, could we instead reuse and recycle? If it is not to save ourselves, perhaps we should consider the legacy we leave?