Essay on "Environment and Social Equality"

Essay 4 pages (1003 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Somehow such organizations and societies must be forced to change through one of two different options. It can come from a top down approach in which the governments of the world take action against the degradation of the planet. It could also come from bottom up pressures in which citizens of the world demand that their institutions take action to mitigate environmental disasters.

The most alarming environmental trend is certainly the changes that are altering the Earth's energy balance. Exponential increases in greenhouse gas emissions, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels, have led to a carbon dioxide concentration of roughly 395.77 parts per million in the atmosphere (CO2 Now). The current concentrations of CO2 are alarming to many researchers because several scientists have claimed that the earth's highest level of CO2 that the Earth can sustainably support is somewhere around 350 parts per million (Hensen, Sato and Kharecha). As McKibben points out in his book Eaarth, that the planet will look substantially different than the one that we grew up on from here on out (McKibben).

When all of the climate data is put in perspective, a rather bleak picture for the future of the planet emerges. The planet that future generations are to inherit will undoubtedly look substantially different than the one that the previous generations enjoyed. This seems to be already unavoidable even with swift action. Greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere for many centuries and therefore there can be no quick solution to the problem. Furthermore, the continued exponential growths of greenhouse gas emissions are already being felt today as the frequencies of extreme weather events and temperature records have increased substantially.

The current economic models are systems that are built upon growth and consumption seem to be unable to shift direction easily. Each new generation of consumers continue accumulating more and more stuff and it is the increases in the population as well as the resources consumed per person that is causing the most damage. However, this model must change if a livable planet is to be passed down to future generations. It is not only that the abstract "future generations" that must be considered. In fact the generations that are already born will have to deal with the consequences of environmental mismanagement for literally the rest of their lives. Time is running out as the window of opportunity is closing; if it has not already closed.

Works Cited

Burtynsky, E. Photographic Works. 1999. Web. 12 July 2012.

CO2 Now. "Earth's CO2 Home Page." 12 July 2012. CO2 Now. Web. 12 July 2012.

Hensen, J., et al. "Target Atmoshperic CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim?" NASA Goddard Intitute for Space Studies (2008): 1-18. Web.

McKibben, B. Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. New York City: St. Martin's Griffin, 2011. Print.

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