Originally Posted by
Nightshade
I agree we need to conserve and find alternatives...in fact I believe it enough to wager my livlihood in that industry in fact.
But the knee-jerk reactions do little to nothing to bring about viable solutions to the reliance on our natural resources and overuse of them. Part of the issue is overpopulation to be honest. seriously if everyone back in the days was living to the age of 45-50 but the average has now jumped to 75-80 this changes the amount of people and resources used in a persons lifetime.
Paving over what used to be farmland and tree growth helps even less. Sprawling cities takes it's toll as well.
Are we too far to make an effective change? Probably not but are people willing to abandon the large city lifestyle in exchange for a more conservation minded approach? Hardly likely, in fact most people would have no clue how to survive without the use of these resources in everyday life.
OK, while we may not agree on the effects of our overuse, we both acknowledge that our impact is outweighing the benefits we are receiving.
I'm not saying I want an army of prius drivers that subsist only on organically grown granola, but we need to be smart and make sure we're progressing in a fashion that impacts us the least down the road.
There's a lot we can do with technology to reduce impacts. I feel we should look strongly into breeder reactors for energy for now (20-30+ years) while we look forward to more efficient, truly renewable energy. I think we should look at how basic building construction can be improved, as 50% of the greenhouse gas emissions come not from cars, but from powering our buildings (The elephant in the room for most environmentalists). We should reward consumers for making positive choices (purchasing locally grown produce) while finding ways to smartly help people to stop making bad choices.
Another key thing we can do is to build better communities in the future. There's no reason to drive through miles of suburbia before you can get to a grocery store. We can also all make personal choices to reduce our impact AND our personal cost. I live 3 miles from work, and I would have lived closer if I could have found a place. My mother doesn't drive two days a week, and carpools at every chance she can. She puts less than 8K per year on her car including trips, and she spends very, very little on gas. Through being smart about the environment and her use, she's saved an incredible amount of money.
Conservation is profitable when applied properly.