How come society is only just now going green...?

Question

...when we have been told by experts that we are already beyond the Earths' threshold of tolerance? (Gaia theory,Lovelock- that earth is an alive self regulating 'being' or living system)

Answer 1

So kids don't have to flush toilets. Every "green" school has self flushing toilet and then for some reason they forget how to flush the toilet at home. :) At school they don't have to turn off the lights either. If they don't move for a long time the lights go out. So they stopped turning our lights out...it's a wonderful world!

Answer 2

The majority of western society has recently gotten a conscience. This I believe is because we are more aware of the processes around us, locally, nationally and internationally. This knowledge has, in a very basic form, been around for much longer than the rise of the Eco movement in the 1970s. However, it was only information known to a few privileged scholars. The vast majority of people couldn't really pin point what was a bad action other than by using common sense (which can be easy controlled and moulded by propaganda and marketing).

With the mass media Revelation of the 20th century came knowledge for all. It took a few years for the bright, and curious middle classes to decide what they wanted to do with the new information. However now a common and fairly unilateral decision has been reached there is no stopping the common belief that Human Kind is bad for planet Earth.

Answer 3

I'm unconvinced that society is actually going green, personally.

I wouldn't worry too much about Lovelock's Gaia theory though, there's no scientific evidence to support that one - stick to the credible reports, it's still frightening reading!

Answer 4

Man is his own worst enemy, he takes little notice of warnings unless there is tangible evidence.

Now some of the evidence is becoming visible and more to the point it is becoming visible to the public eye we start to throw up our Arms and accuse everyone but ourselves that there is a problem and if they do nothing about it they will cause a catastrophe.

We play the lip service games, clever political games and gains but in essence do little to allow the technology we have and the potential humans have to make an enormous difference with the possibility of arresting the further decline of the planets resources and curtailing further pollution.

Answer 5

That's one thing that bug's me; there's one theory that says we've gone too far and there's no way back, and there's another theory that says that the planet has always got hoter and colder from time to time and that this isn't unusual. I don't see how the recent carbon-frenzy helps in EITHER case!

Surely just hope that it's natural, and keep going the way we are; that way, if the world's doomed at least we'll have been able to drive our cars and take cheap flights till it's all over, and if it's all just natural, well, we'll be fine, and again complete with cars and planes!

Answer 6

people have been to busy with there lives to worry about the consequences of leaving lights on and not recycling, we all stand accused of being complacent,

but thing will have to change soon, or the choice will be taken out of our hands, but remember energy never dies it only changes form, so if you find a way of changing the surplus's heat in the atmosphere into say light or some other form that we can use, then the problem might dissipate good luck

Answer 7

we still aren't going green. it's the latest buzzword.
environmentalism has been around as long as people.
pioneers were discussing it in the 1700s and 1800s
and much earlier of course in europe.
it's nothing new. but people's daily concerns tent to overwhelm the ideas of environmentalism.

Answer 8

what makes you think that it is only
NOW that society is turning green!!!!!
preindustrial society used to recycle as much as possible and were mostly self sufficient, but with the advent of industrialisation and wealth all these was forgotten.
God bless,
gabe.

Answer 9

Money.

Answer 10

i'm not green. I'm the environments worst enemy