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I don't think he missed it at all. You're essentially advocating for going backwards.
Not at all. I think saving the environment and going green is of the utmost importance, but you have to look at the big picture and recognize that just because we find an alternate method to an environmental issue we are facing does it make sense to create a whole new one that didnt previously exist in doing so; using this method will result in an never ending battle.
Take electric cars for instance, they generate more carbon emissions to manufacture, their batteries are made from rare earth elements that require mining which creates additional pollution, and at the end of their lifecycle the batteries create another environmental issue. To top it off, they require a power source to charge the batteries which also creates emissions. New fossil fueled cars are close to zero emissions already, cost less and have less strain on the environment to manufacture.
Nuclear power plants are another big one for me. I am against nuclear power ever since working at a nuke plant and really learned how they functioned. The spent radioactive fuel rods that must be changed on a routine basis must be stored somewhere and they pollute the earth in my opinion far more than anything that a fossil fuel plant produces. Take the possibility of a melt down and the damage that would cause too. WHy not just find a way to reduce the emissions from fossil fuel plants instead? I think solar is the way to go, but the technology just isnt there yet for me.
These are just a couple of examples, but is the direction I think makes sense to solving issues. Why reinvent the wheel if the current one can be better with a few tweaks.
Was everything 'green' before the invention of machines? Thousands of years of people living in tribes, and then mud or stone dwellings. Foraging for food, or planting small gardens. Drinking just water from rain or spring. Or fruit juice. Riding on donkeys or horses. No powered machines. Tool making with fire. No electricity.
All that's green, right?
And then came the industrial revolution. The steam engine. Then machines powered by batteries, oils, etc. These machines required excavating minerals for production, creating waste by-products that polluting environment. With machines and new tools new industries can form such as chemical and pharmaceutical industry.
Now we have a world of things made by machine. Before, people had to make things by hand from wood or stone. Even their dwelling. Nothing was powered. Made fire for cooking or heat. All very green, unless they cleared out a whole forest. And they did sometimes.
So I don't think we can ever go full green if we use machines made of metal. Machines made of wood I think would be very green. But not anything made from metals and chemicals.
So image we all lived in stone and wood dwellings (lumber made by watermill power would be green). Local food gardens. Wood fires for cooking/heat. Horse carriage for travel. And that's about it. I wonder how fast the forests would be depleted? Too fast? Or slow enough to be sustained?
Not at all. I think saving the environment and going green is of the utmost importance, but you have to look at the big picture and recognize that just because we find an alternate method to an environmental issue we are facing does it make sense to create a whole new one that didnt previously exist in doing so; using this method will result in an never ending battle.
Take electric cars for instance, they generate more carbon emissions to manufacture, their batteries are made from rare earth elements that require mining which creates additional pollution, and at the end of their lifecycle the batteries create another environmental issue. To top it off, they require a power source to charge the batteries which also creates emissions. New fossil fueled cars are close to zero emissions already, cost less and have less strain on the environment to manufacture.
Nuclear power plants are another big one for me. I am against nuclear power ever since working at a nuke plant and really learned how they functioned. The spent radioactive fuel rods that must be changed on a routine basis must be stored somewhere and they pollute the earth in my opinion far more than anything that a fossil fuel plant produces. Take the possibility of a melt down and the damage that would cause too. WHy not just find a way to reduce the emissions from fossil fuel plants instead? I think solar is the way to go, but the technology just isnt there yet for me.
These are just a couple of examples, but is the direction I think makes sense to solving issues. Why reinvent the wheel if the current one can be better with a few tweaks.
This argument was big when Toyota first brought out the Prius hybrid. I read multiple articles in different publications using the same words and phrases to the effect that a Hummer was more environmentally friendly than a Prius. I never bought into that argument and purchased a 2007 Prius that is still running strong as our daily driver.
A sustainable lifestyle is now much easier and more popular than it used to be. When I was a student, I didn't understand what it is and why we need it, how to do it. Now there is so much information, sources for both adults and students (like here: https://ivypanda.com/blog/green-tips-for-students/ to lead a green lifestyle. I would like to believe that everyone already understands how important this is for us and our planet.
I think the point is doing a little is better than doing nothing, or waiting for someone else to do the Big Thing. I agree with the premise of the OP.
Here's some on my list:
- Don't waste food. Keep stock of things in the pantry/fridge and eat them before they go bad
- Put stuff in your Amazon cart and wait (if it can wait). You'll realize in a few days what you really need vs what is an impulse buy.
- Pick up trash when you go on walks. I take one of those pickup sticks and the kids play a game of find the trash when we go on hikes. We limit it to one grocery bag each time (I don't want to spend the entire trip picking up trash).
Ehh. I do what the laws and regulations say, and what saves me money when it makes sense to me. But I'm not hanging my laundry, I like my lawn, and my kids definitely wore disposable diapers and you know what? So does my 91 years old father. So will some of you. Try and fight THAT!
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