why are people all of a sudden SO concerned about the enviornment, they never seemed to care before?

Answer 1

yahoo be a better planet contest thats why

Answer 2

A lot of people have always cared, but now that the air is full of ozone, they are chopping away at the rain forests, and the polar ice cap is melting, it became "a political" issue.

Greed always comes before common sense, and now that all the damage has gotten out of control, the politicians want to use this issue a vote getter.. My guess however is once elected, the enviornment will take a back seat again unless we a citizens keep the pressure on our state and federal leaders.

Answer 3

...because communications has improved so much over the years. You can now discuss this issue on the internet with strangers from Turkey while you're sitting in Alaska. That was never possible 15 years ago. There's more environmental awareness now. Gas prices are much higher than before (I think that's something everyone can agree on) and people are finally realizing that the oil supply is running low and at the rate we're using it, it won't be sustainable for the future. Smog in cities has gotten terrible. We're finally seeing more effects unfortunately.

And isn't it good that more people are caring about the environment? This is a hopeful sign that a Green Revolution is coming and that we may very well be the ones to create a more sustainable future.

Answer 4

I'm going to answer your question the way Professor Irwin Corey (The World' Foremost Authority) did decades ago: You've asked two questions. The first is "why". Now the answer to that question is so long and involved, I can't possibly cover the huge scope it deserves. Now your second question, "Are people, all of a sudden, SO concerned about the environment?" The answer is yes. Professor Corey proclaimed there was no question he couldn't answer, but they all had to begin with "why". I'm not being flip about your question, but the last half about not seeming to care before, is the answer. People jump on the current fad and will change in a heartbeat when something else comes along to attract their interest.

Answer 5

I think it's mainly because we're really feeling the pinch on our
wallets with gas in short supply,and that leads to other questions about commodities like crude oil and it's derivitives. It does seem suddenly 'hip' to be on the green
bandwagon. I have been green for nearly all my adult life.
About 20 yrs,because my parents raised me in the country
and instilled a respect for nature and conservancy in me since
I was 5 or 6 yrs old. I never drove a gas-guzzler and I never
abused the environment to make my life easier. Sure,we all
use non-renewable resources regularly,but,there is a lot we
can each do. And over a lifetime, it makes a real difference.
I credit my parents for teaching me good-citizenry as an
inhabitant of this planet.

Answer 6

Because the facts are in about all the damage we have caused by our lifestyles! Believe it or not, the car was first believed to be cleaner for the environment because the streets weren't filled with as much horse manure!

Sometimes it's not evident how things will ultimately affect the environment until it becomes a problem.

Your question is like asking, 'Why are people SO concerned about terrorism' right after 9-11.

Answer 7

Two major reasons, though there are probably many:

1. MEDIA ATTENTION. People can't care what they don't really know about. Sometime they won't care until they see those whom they admire care either. Its easy to keep oneself ignorant too. Think about the big issues people got involved in because of Gore, Hepburn, Sting, Bono. Media also tends to create controversies where there aren't any. For example, reporting "two sides" to science issues, where there really isn't a debate (e.g. evolution, global warming).

2. PEOPLE DON'T HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR THE NATURAL WORLD. Most people, especially kids growing up in cities, don't get a chance to see nature and don't have an appreciation for anything outside their X-box or TV. People also don't really understand environmental issues, either because it hasn't touched their lives personally or because they don't understand science.

Some ways to address this:
1. Get the Power People behind it. Get a well-known face to grab media attention for an issue.
2. Get involved with promoting awareness, understanding of science, and getting people out into those amazing places (yes, they still exist).

Answer 8

It's basically the pre election year with the Republican and Democrats seeing whole will be their nominee around March of next year from voting that will happen in February in many states. The enivornment is a Democrat strong suit. Republican politicans tend to want to favor busnesses which tend to hate any regualtion because they generally cut deep into profits depending on the business. With only 20% of new businesses surviving past their first year the more regulation the harder it is for the new business to grow.

Bill Clinton got elected president because of the economy, but the economy is booming. That leaves the wars in Iraq and Afganistan and the environment as things to bash the Republicans. There is a feeling that the major involvement in Iraq will probably wrap up next year and even the Democrats are not going to surrender to the Taliban in Afganistan. As you can see the Democrats don't have much to preach on what they plan to do besides, hold on here, "Stay the course."

Answer 9

It is much like having a swimming pool, people that kept using it get concern when it starts changing color and trash accumulates in it.

The population of the planet has grown to 16.6 billion, and just like placing livestock in a confined area there is a point at which there health is affected by overpopulation.
Food, clean water, clean air, clean living quarters, and etc. is becoming a problem.

Answer 10

We thought that the earth was such a big place to even imagine it getting destroyed. But now,we don't have to watch the news to realize it or we don't have to go to the coldest regions to see it for ourselves because the floods and extreme temperatures are now coming to us in our homes.

I don't have watch it on the news now because a little down pour can flood my home.
i don't have to go Africa to experience how a hot weather feels because the 85 degrees in Texas will soon get to 90+ and i will have Africa right here in US.
That's why we are so concerned now.We can't hide the evidence any more.

Answer 11

Many still dont
here are some more why´s
WHY

Why cant people accept what is happening to this planet ?

Why cant they accept that we humans have caused devastating destruction all over the planet .

And not just for the last 50 years ,the Sahara used to be forrests (,but you cant deforrest on the equator because you cant replant under that hot a sun.It is now growing 7 miles per year burning the edges .
IN THE PAST
The building of Spanish Armada made Spain a dessert country as the Phoenicians deforested Lebanon for their trading fleet.

Ghengas Kahn burned everything(cities ,agriculture,forrests ) and filled all the wells with sand ,turning vast teritories into desserts.
TODAY
Large parts of the world are turned into deserts because of irresponsible farming,overpumping carbon Aquifers ,over grazing ,deforestation,all causing desertification.

I have been in the jungles of Oaxaca and discussed with the Natives the mountain before us ,Mostly deforrested ,scarred by landslides and dotted with madly steep corn patches (which only produced for 3 years ),and devoid of clouds.

They all agreed that the days were hotter ,there was less rain ,And the river was dry part of the year.

When they were boys ,the river was bigger and ran all year around,the mountain was always covered in clouds with daily rains .And the days were more bearable .

Their actions in the desperate plight to feed their enormous families of avarage 12 kids per family ,often much more ,had destroyed their home ground with indisputable climate changes.

In Africa I have seen lush wooded lands change into dessert within a few years by large invading comunities ,who devoured the trees for building and firewood ending up in a dessert with out water
and with a hot sun under which no new plantation was possible.

Granted the climatic changes are local ,but effects neighboring areas ,there is less rainfall, rivers dry up ,

BUT these things are happening ALL over the world and nobody can convince me that COLLECTIVELY this does NOT effect the Global climate
Global precipitation,Global temperatures,Global water supplies ,Global everything.

Millions of hectares are lost because of the roads systems ,expanding population and the resulting settlements.

Mexico looses half a million hectares per year in the quest for Ethanol and this is happening in Africa ,Borneo,Malasia,etc and will become much much more ,when America passes a new bill about the production of Ethanol ,

Replacing indigenous forrests wiping out all the wild life and bio diversity and replacing it with monoculture plantations grown with fertilizers that will only have plagues of insects as inhabitants,which will be combatted with Pesticides .The natural soil balance will be destroyed and contiued growth will only be possible with chemicals .

Is there no limit to the waste of money and natural resources in this insane attempt to suposedly save te Environment .

Humans ARE contaminating ,the Air,the Soil and Waters.This evidence is for all to see all over the world ,
And cannot be whitewashed with claims that humanity is inocent .

OVERPOPULATION puts pressures on all Natural resources and increases all the bad side effects of Humanity such as deminishing the overall bio mass and wide spread polution

Why dont they want to look after Nature ,it is where all the conditions that makes life pleasant and possible for us comes from ?Air ,Food ,Water to grow food and to make beer with ,and most of all a bearable climate ,not to mention the absorbsion of harmfull gasses.

Why dont they want to keep the neighborhood clean so their kids dont have to play in the trash ,?

Why do they want to kill animals ?

Why is it important whose fault Global Warming is?
If it was Gaia who is fed up with the virus infesting her ,
If the Sun is having a stroke .?
If God (Jehova) is having a tantrum?
If humanity caused it ?
If it is Natural regular phenomina?

Who cares ?
What is important is that we are in the poop,and if we can do something that will make the poop less ,we should try to do it .

By
A friend of the Planet