People and resources are two extremely important factors in our world constantly affecting one another. Energy, nitrogen, water, etc. are all resources that people use for survival. From the very beginning people have been finding new ways to improve and simplify their lives. If you believe in the classic story that cave men discovered how to make and control fire then really you can say that is where it all began. Of course before this there were other ways to make tools out of wood or stone, ways to hunt, eat, and live, but fire is really where it all began. Once people realized there were new things yet to be invented and discovered, the hunt was on.
One major discovery that has greatly affected our population and resources today is nitrogen-based fertilizer. Of course it can be seen as a great discovery because without it hundreds of populations would no longer be able to survive, but it has also greatly affected our energy consumption.
Today energy is one of the major issues in our society. Where would we be if we really did run out of energy? What will happen when we reach peak oil and when it simply just cannot be accessed anymore? Where will people turn? Oil is used to power everything from cars, to homes, to simply the way of life as we know it, so without it what really will happen?
The world, especially the US, has become accustomed to a “lifestyle” of quickness and convenience. From fast food, to large superstores, to bottled water, our lives have been transformed it what seems like an irreversible way. Now that we have experienced having these things how can we really live without them? Well the fact is we really can.
We all went five days without something we believed we couldn’t live without, and guess what, we’re all still here. Although it may have been somewhat of an inconvenience or frustrating, we all managed to work through something we thought we would never be able to do. Now that we know we really can live without these things previously believed to be necessities, we really need to rethink our way of life.
Our population, climate, and basically our “lifestyle” is simply out of control and is spiraling down a path of destruction. We always expect that others will take care of our problems for us, but it has come to a time where this simply is not the case. We need to begin to work together to really have an effect.
Although recently some people have been trying to cut back on their extensive use of resources, no one really has a sense of urgency on how big of an issue it could be if we really do run out of resources. Just like climate change, people know it exists and admit it is an issue affecting them and the world, yet fail to really do anything about it. As we’ve learned in class we have become somewhat of a lazy and selfish society. We like things quickly with little effort and we worry about ourselves before anyone else. Most think they don’t need to do anything because someone else will do it, which will make up for them not doing anything. Really many need to refocus their ideas and mind-state. We all really need to start putting in the effort and working together if anything is ever going to get accomplished.
The US is one of the great and well-known developed nations and we really do need to be careful of our actions. Other nations see what we have and they want this too. We have given them the information and the technology to become like us and what will happen to the world if there are more nations just like the US? We are one of the leading CO2 emitters in the world and if all the other nations start to catch up to us, who knows what could happen.
People don’t realize that all their actions have a consequence. Maybe not directly on themselves but on somebody, somewhere. From this class alone we have learned so many ways and have heard so many great ideas on how we could possibly make a difference to really save the Earth. Now all we have to do is really just make the effort.
So many amazing discoveries and inventions have been made for millions of years so now if we simply change our focus onto discovering or doing something that will help to save us, we really could accomplish something great. Although it is important for our scientists to continue to work on discovering the cure to so many diseases and illness that effect so many of us, we really need to just put more focus than we have been on helping to save the world. Because after all, if theres no Earth left, there will be no people left to save.
Ever since discovery and inventions, people are constantly searching for new ways to make their lives easier, more efficient, or more convenient. They want ways to make more and more money so they can buy more things. People always want more and more of everything they consume. As most say, the more the better. However, convenience and more is NOT always better. Ultimately, this train of thought could become the downfall to our kind. Resources are our only hope for survival and without them all this money and all these products people massively consume will simply mean nothing. If we use all our necessary resources up for things that are simply for convenience the effects could be devastating.
Finally, the idea of “going green” really needs to be revised. Campuses, companies, and almost everyone these days claim to be “going green”. This term, however, has simply become very broad. Just because you put more recycling bins out that say “go green” or put in hand dryers rather than paper towel dispensers, these are only a few of the things that can really be done. Also, sometimes companies will stick a “green” label on a product, simply because they made one ingredient different of “green”. What about all the other ingredients? Since people then buy these products, thinking they really are doing something “green” they believe that this is enough to have an effect, when really they’re just buying pretty much the same product they used to buy. “Going green” really needs to be changed to something that means something, not just something that makes people, look or feel better about themselves when really they didn’t even do that much.
We need to take a step back and look around. Everything, everywhere is changing. The world is not the place it used to be and we are the generation who can do something about stopping the current predicament. As Al Gore discussed, think about it as a blessing. We have an opportunity to change the world for the better, so why not do something great? We could and need to be the hero generation he talked about. We have been brought up in a society where we have a chance to make a difference and we not only have the technology but the information to make a difference. We need to be the generation that everybody looks back on and really admires for allowing them to be where they are. The generation that everybody looks back on and says, I'm thankful somebody did something to get us to where we are today.
This class has really had an impact on what leaning something new really is all about. Everywhere I look now it seems like everything has to do with the environment, energy, going green, or stopping global warming. Everything somehow relates back to what we have been learning in this class. It hasn’t been about simply memorizing definition after definition, taking 80 question tests, or writing a million papers, its really simply been about speaking your mind and learning from others. In the end, people and resources go hand in hand and without either, nothing would exist. Remember, we are all a team, and together just about anything is possible as long as we really try.
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
