Permaculture: Think Global, Act Local? Why? How does this effect the Environment?

Question

Why should we take into account what is happening globally? How does what we do affect people outside our own locality?
Why should we think globally and act locally?

Answer 1

every action that you or i perform is repeated en masse all across the planet. logically it follows that if every individual acted in an environmentally sensitive manner in their locality, the cumulative effect would be environmentally sensitive acts committed worldwide.

it goes deeper than that though... the world is a system with all its components interrelated. if a stream is polluted at its source the pollution will be spread throughout the watershed. if exotic species are introduced into an ecosysytem, the cascade effect on the local food chain can be unpredictable and disastrous. pollution released into the air can affect air quality hundreds of miles away. runoff from deforested farm land affects the water quality hundreds of miles away... the mississippi river delta is a case in point.

nothing stays in our backyards. oil leaked into a driveway may eventually filter into the grass or the storm sewers. pollution knows no boundaries, political or chronological. by acting responsibly here, we can do our part to ensure a little less impact, a little lighter footprint on our planet.

Answer 2

What we do locally, even in our own houses, affects the entire world. So understanding what we can do in our own homes and communities will make a difference in the world. One thing we can do is to buy local produce from farmer's markets. That reduces the fuel emissions from large trucks which have to transport produce from long distances.