Being Green
We've all heard about climate change and the potentially catastrophic impacts it could have on the Earth as we know it. We've all seen the unusually high rates of natural disasters across the United States and we have certainly witnessed the entire world going greener as a whole. Not only is going green beneficial for future generations, but it also has a lot of perks too. So why are there some people out there are seem to outright refuse to believe in climate change?
Well, for one, there are a lot of people out there who believe that going green is going to effectively ruin the economy. But that's completely untrue. Sure, we can expect that turning to green energy will cause the loss of thousands of jobs in oil and gas, but the use of green energy has the potential to unlock thousands of new jobs out there that could be filled.
On a smaller scale, there are of course a variety of methods that the individual can be "greener". These things include reducing one's carbon footprint in general, driving an electric car and even doing something as minimal as using a reusable water bottle on a daily basis. That raises the question of whether or not there is a divide between the wealthy who are able to afford typically expensive (though sustainable) items and those who simply cannot and must rely on cheap gas that pollutes the Earth. Surprisingly, there are arguments to both sides. David Ritter, the chief executive officer of Greenpeace Australia Pacific believes that there is not a divide. He sees it as more of a fact of any environmental victories are as a whole really helping out everyone in the world, not just a specific group. Opposingly, Daniel Wild, a research fellow at The Institute of Public Affairs sees the divide to be very real. He sees different kinds of environmentalism and argues that certain broader environmental issues are more relevant to a specific group and is less relevant to the lower class.
So I ask, do you believe there is a divide?
http://www.climaticoanalysis.org/post/is-green-living-a-luxury-of-the-rich/
https://hbr.org/2010/08/going-green-for-the-economy.html
Well, for one, there are a lot of people out there who believe that going green is going to effectively ruin the economy. But that's completely untrue. Sure, we can expect that turning to green energy will cause the loss of thousands of jobs in oil and gas, but the use of green energy has the potential to unlock thousands of new jobs out there that could be filled.
On a smaller scale, there are of course a variety of methods that the individual can be "greener". These things include reducing one's carbon footprint in general, driving an electric car and even doing something as minimal as using a reusable water bottle on a daily basis. That raises the question of whether or not there is a divide between the wealthy who are able to afford typically expensive (though sustainable) items and those who simply cannot and must rely on cheap gas that pollutes the Earth. Surprisingly, there are arguments to both sides. David Ritter, the chief executive officer of Greenpeace Australia Pacific believes that there is not a divide. He sees it as more of a fact of any environmental victories are as a whole really helping out everyone in the world, not just a specific group. Opposingly, Daniel Wild, a research fellow at The Institute of Public Affairs sees the divide to be very real. He sees different kinds of environmentalism and argues that certain broader environmental issues are more relevant to a specific group and is less relevant to the lower class.
So I ask, do you believe there is a divide?
http://www.climaticoanalysis.org/post/is-green-living-a-luxury-of-the-rich/
https://hbr.org/2010/08/going-green-for-the-economy.html
Great post! This is a super important topic in our world today. I believe that there should not be a divide even if there was one. Everybody's goal should be to keep on reducing their carbon emissions in the ways they can, even if it is really small. I believe that the discussion to this divide can stop if we effectively replace our traditional fossil fuels with new resources, such as solar energy. By working to implement solar energy in all places and making the resource cheap enough, everyone, not just the rich people, will have accessibility to cleaner and sustainable energy sources. Going green means environmental change, but it should also mean social change. The government could also be a main factor as to why there may be a divide, as Trump has pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement and has hindered the advancement of the green industry. Before our climate becomes worse, we should take the leap of faith and trust in ourselves to instigate a change.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/16/americans-want-more-clean-energy-heres-what-theyll-do-to-get-it.html