Now more than ever it is evident that the environmental crisis requires an elimination of the source of the problem more than the effects of harmful processes and products that industries and civilians use. Part of the solution to the crisis is balancing the environment, the society, and the economy, which contributes to closing the loop in many industrial manufacturing or production processes. A major portion of the solution, however, does not necessarily consist of overt actions but rather internal deliberation and consideration. That is, one must acknowledge or develop an emotional engagement with the environment, its issues, and its wellbeing.
To state that one must develop an emotional attachment with the environment sounds trivial and stereotypic. Such a mindset is necessary, however, to ensure that our intentions are clear and genuine. We need to know to ourselves that we are correcting the environmental problems for the betterment of future generations, for the insurance of our personal future existences, and for the preservation of ecological and biological diversity. We also need to be sure that we know the consequences of not taking care of the Earth’s resources and its inhabitants. That is, the effects of our activities extend to species endangerment, habitat destruction, poverty, dehumanization, business corruption, polluted communities, human endangerment…in short, almost every aspect of life with which we all share some connection with. Important to this emotional engagement is the persistence of such an attitude, as opposed to one that fluctuates based on the stability of the environment.
Once one fully acknowledges, in the full sense of the word, the environment, one can then understand what is essential to correct out wrongs. One important way of doing this, especially for industries, is closing the loop. This concept entails utilizing wastes generated by the manufacturing and production processes, or reducing waste generation with resource utilization. I believe that closing the loop is an excellent way to mend many problems in the environment, but one problem surfaces in the face of these methods: economic costs. Many companies may have to expend extra money to harness, store, and valorize their wastes. While many huge companies have considerable profits, they do not wish to use such perhaps for their own convenience or wants. One must consider, however, the environmental and economic benefits that making use of waste can have. Like transportation methods, as discussed in class, certain new business ventures can become the norm after older and less efficient businesses phase out or become unsatisfactory to the needs of the present. Perhaps the norm may become resource utilization. In addition, by using waste that companies already have, they can limit or cease investing in many sources of limited energy or materials. As such, the companies may save money if such practices are made long-term. Once again, we come to terms with the notion that people must be emotionally engaged with the issues to acknowledge these goals.
Here is where a discrepancy occurs, however, because many people think about the here and now, due to unfortunate circumstances in life, such as poverty or lack of education on the issue. One example noted in class that I will comment upon was the workers in Guyana who extracted gold from rocks using mercury, some of who experienced adverse health effects. Some of the workers may not know of the effects of mercury and, thus, are not troubled about using the materials. Others who do know, yet still do the work, probably do so because the money they earn to feed their families and upkeep the little they do have is more important than the wellbeing of themselves. Most of my family is from Guyana, and were amongst the lower class. Although I do not believe any of them were or are gold workers, some surely did, and still do, have the mentality of getting the job done to support the family and live for today. In order to get others involved in finding methods to avoid environmental problems, those educated on the issues need to share their awareness with others the gravity of the issue. A method of effectively getting across the messages to others, I feel, is to appeal to the issues that directly affect them in the environment, such as their physical health.
Here we see that it is of importance to tackle many social issues in solving many environmental problems. There is a need to raise the standard of living and to create an educated society. This need demonstrates how interconnected the environmental issues are with our lives, which is one of the major reasons why we need to find solutions to the problems. Even further, when we have managed to maintain a balance with society, the environment, and the economy, we must continue to practice limits and remain emotionally engaged with the environment to ensure that we do not make way for a renewed crisis.
Sherifa Baldeo
