Not Wishing the Worst

Posted by Shirley Siluk Gregory Nov 23, 2007

One of the more aggravating responses I often see to articles or comments about the damage we're doing to our environment is, "You just want everyone to 1) go back to the Dark Ages, 2) eat bark and live in caves or 3) die." While such reactions sound ridiculous, I hear them often enough that I believe they need to be addressed head-on.

Part of the problem stems from news and science itself: there seems to be such a growing body of bad news and disturbing new findings about climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and so on that it's hard not to feel pessimistic or depressed. Understanding the urgency of the world's environmental troubles, though, doesn't mean we as environmentalists want these troubles -- we're just acknowledging reality. The nay-sayers, though, see this as gloom-and-doom thinking.

The other part of the problem arises from a difference in philosophy. If you're green-minded and you're concerned about the havoc we're inflicting on the globe, you're probably taking lots of personal actions to make a difference and agitating -- online, in the real world or both -- for businesses, governments and other organizations to take action too. So, when you don't see enough evidence of such action, it's easy to feel discouraged.

Again, though, this doesn't mean we eco-minded types are hoping for disaster. We're just trying to get through to others who haven't yet acknowledged the seriousness of today's problems. And that's a step in the right direction, not a wish for doom.