1. It is difficult to pinpoint the one most important global environmental problem, because so many of them are interconnected. However, I think that the one most influential problem is politics. For example, the causes that lead to pollution in general are affected by politics, namely lax restrictions and jurisdiction. Fossil fuels cause a lot of pollution and governments are trying to control them from Argentina to Zaire. Most countries that are currently experiencing conflict are at war because of territory. Whether it is due to the existence of a mineral deposit or oil reserves the territorial conflict threatens the local wildlife and the governments have control over the conflicts they create. Another example is forestry. Most governments, ours included, decide where trees can be cut and whether or not those trees need to be replanted. The Brazilian government for example, lets logging companies come in and cut trees wherever they want, killing the eco-system and sub-sequentially eradicating the area of its fauna by killing off its natural habitat. Every environmental decision that the government makes affects us all.
2. Living in an “environmentally friendly” way means consciously making decisions that will benefit or cause less harm to the environment. Although I do try, it is definitely not as easy as it seems. When calculating my “ecological footprint,” I scored highest on food (like most other people). Although I don’t feel like I eat a lot, I know that I do not buy a lot of locally or organically grown foods just because of the simple fact that I cannot afford such a luxury on a college student’s budget. I do make other initiatives. Whether they feel small or not, I try to recycle (even though I can’t get the rest of my house to). When I preach to them how sometimes their waste or laziness affects the environment, they call me a “bleeding heart liberal” and I just shut up. But, I try to change their ways by doing little things like shutting all the lights off in the house before we go to bed. Or switching all the light bulbs over in our house to more energy efficient ones. I think that by making people see how easy it can be to live in an environmentally friendly way, they might start making small changes too.
