I am never quite sure what to make of the issue of climate change. It always seems to be there, nagging me and making me feel guilty when I throw away a piece of cardboard or leave the TV on standby, but in my opinion the whole subject of ecological change has become fairly stale.
The initial panic and realisation of what is happening has now been replaced with a ‘What else is on?’ attitude. Is this cultural ignorance or ill education? We are asked to do our bit to help ‘save the planet’ with generic lists of what we should and shouldn’t be doing: drive less, recycle more, plant a tree, but how do I know that this is going to have any effect on global warming? I know very little when it comes to science.
It is interesting to question whether we would be more willing to ‘do our bit’ if our ‘bit’ was tailored specifically to us as individuals. As Roger Malina states, ‘data about ones own environment must be accessible and understandable and in a sense ‘owned’ by each person.’ Would a location based, demographic eco database, informing us what we can personally do to combat global warming be the answer? Perhaps. Or perhaps we’ll just bury our heads in the sand for a little bit longer.
Now let’s all go plant a tree and feel better about ourselves.
I believe that we can make a change as individuals, but the individual should join with other individuals. Big companies and the government don't listen to one 'little' person but to many, so if we want to make a change we need to practice as we preach and join together. As I said in my blog, it is basically the people with most of the money who call the shots, or the people who shout the loudest, so maybe look at campaign groups within your essay and see what they are upto and what they have achieved. Hope my comment helps. x
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