Why do people think that we need to spend money in order to save the environment?

Question

As I see it, its more important what we DON'T do than what we do do. We need to do less not more. (ie - nature doesn't really need our help, all we have to do is stop destroying it)

We simply need to occupy our seemingly insatiable need for doing things with things that don't pollute. (our hobbies seem to be almost as dangerous as our industries)

Your thoughts?

Its not about all or none, the very act of breathing is a form of 'pollution'. The real issue is just reducing our overwhelming 'footprint' on the Earth.

By the way I do practice what I preach. I got rid of my car seven years ago and I go everywhere by bicycle and I'm happier and healthier for it (not to mention that I have more disposable income while actually working less)

Answer 1

AGREE, agree, agree, agree. 100% agreement from me. Yes, stay out of the natural Eco system. Be as self sustaining as possible on your own homestead/suburban garden as you can with fuel, food, growing your own timber for building, dealing with your own wastes, then leave the natural eco system/nature/wilderness alone. If we concentrate on living on least land possible, whilst producing high yields, then we limit the damage we do from overconsumption of resources, exploitation of others and the environment.

Why do we need so much stuff? Why do we need to do things that negatively impact on the environment all the time? In my opinion, we in the developed world believe we have a right to have anything we desire, regardless of cost to others or the environment.

Answer 2

For the majority of people you are correct. For business, especially big business the businesses need to activate a plan that will recycle, reuse and replace what they destroy. My favorite is Weyerhauser where they replace lumber in an environmentally safe way in order to always have trees to harvest and not destroy the environment. They do this on an international level and teach other countries at the same time how to manage their forests. Check out their website on the Internet for more about what they are doing. A well balanced strategy can help to save the planet and still make a company productive. There are other companies that do similar things; however, there are far too many that continue to bleed the environment and cause it to fail or even die.

Answer 3

It would work to a degree. But you need to cut down trees to build homes unless you use bricks. You need to mine the ground so that you have aluminum, gold, etc. It isn't as clear cut as you would like. You have to use the earth to live. You also have to spend money so that someone else can make a living. You could recycle, you could buy less things made from plastic. The some things that are not made of plastic are more expensive. Can you afford them? Maybe not. Yes you can plant trees, and you can pick up the garbage. There are a lot of people on this planet. Do you think you can get them all to change their ways? Probably not, but you can be the example to follow.

Answer 4

Everything you say is true, but some hobbies aren't going away anytime soon just because they pollute, are noisy, etc. We can however work to raise standards apace with improving technology to ensure that these hobbies do as little damage as possible. My own hobbies are very unobtrusive, for the most part, but the reality is we all enjoy different things and not everyone is sensitive to the environmental impacts their hobbies have. (Education can help in this department!)

One thing that costs armloads of money is land. Bottom line is land acquisition is costly and one of the best ways to protect buffer zones, greenbelts, wildlife corridors, and other fringe wilderness areas whose presence bolsters the ecological value of surrounding lands.

Many wilderness preservation organizations are set up to accept property or other assets as a way of preserving tracts of land. This land may be sold or traded to preserve more valuable properties, but can help offset the huge cost of acquiring environmentally-sensitive lands.

Individually, we can and should give thought to how our words and deeds impact the world around us.