Gas, solar, thermal, nuclear - that is, atomic - wind, methane, ethanol and electric. These are the energies that my parents were able to list off when I spoke to them. Some are sustainable - others? Not so much. Often times, those that aren't sustainable cause pollution, while the ones that don't are sustainable. However, unfortunately, the cost of these energies don't reflect this in a very positive manner. Those that pollute more often cost less, while those that pollute less often cost more. It encourages innovation to improve our energy resources - but no one is willing to put the time and effort into changing to match our needs.
But... define "need". Do we really need 64 computers and 16 flat screen televisions? My dad says we should reduce demand. By doing so, we could cut potential costs of energy immensely. Other ways to help, he says, are to find local energy sources that don't destroy the environment and be more responsible about use - find something better than what you have, maybe by changing the lights, or buying a new hybrid car for fuel efficiency.
Climate change, he goes on to say, is caused by what's known as the butterfly effect, named for the theory that when a butterfly flaps its wings, things in the world change.
"But in all seriousness," he points out, "If we knew the answer to that, we'd be just fine."
He says this because we only observe climate change - we don't know what starts it. We observe it from space, try to find the cause and effect... but we don't know enough about it to do something. Or... do we?
Because people are idiots, we don't have the will to do what's right - and if we do, we're too ignorant. The planet's survived all sorts of things before, so many people feel like it's not even a problem, and it's just part of a cycle. There's even a new theory about how global warming won't affect the globe - changes will be different in various places, and the Earth will end up just fine. Humans, though? Not so much.
People seem to think of morals as a way to work. Easier is more dominant than right in our society - do what's right until it impacts us. My family tries to be environmentally conscious, sure - but we never turn our computers off, we have a gas stove with pilot lights... things that are harder for us to change are what we just leave be, and those are the things that, if changed, would make the most difference. People's unwillingness to change for inconvenience is a huge problem, as well as what they think others think of them. My dad says that since he got his new Prius, at least ten people have asked why he would do that to himself. He doesn't care since he's being environmentally friendly - but other people don't see that as something that they'd be willing to do because of peer pressure alone.
And, of course, there's just different types of people. Some are givers, some are takers. Some are knowledgable on the affairs of the world... and some aren't.
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