How do we fix the mess we created
Human activity has led us to a climate crisis. It is a major issue that we must try to fix as soon as possible before the effects become too severe. However, there is a lot of debate around how to solve this problem. Many environmentalists believe that we should attack the sources, others believe that we need to focus more on adapting and using other alternatives. I believe that we should be attacking these issues at the source, and here is why.
Firstly, the drivers of the climate crisis will not decrease unless we do something about them, meaning we will continuously have to adapt to new challenges. Therefore, allowing the drivers of the crisis to continue will require more resources in the long run. Fighting off rising sea levels, poor air quality, and stronger storms will require a lot of new infrastructure, and will likely continue needing additional resources as things change even more. If we attack the sources, we may need to use a lot of resources to change some of our established ways for the better, but they will be rather long-lasting and low-maintenance compared to continuously adapting to extremes.
Building off of that, Albert Einstein once said: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” I believe this truly captures the essence of our problem and many of the reasons we are still debating about what to do. We created this crisis by thinking very linearly, essentially that we can create something, use it, then dispose of it. It is clear that this way of thinking has many limitations and at some point becomes impossible or drastically harming and overwhelming. Shifting our way of thinking to a more sustainable thought process would be more beneficial, letting us continue to reuse our resources in the most efficient way possible. Establishing an infrastructure to fully support this may certainly require resources at first, but will eventually start paying off in many ways, and should save resources.
Our way of thinking has led us into a climate crisis. We know we need to do something about it, but the debates are still going on about how to fix it. In my opinion, attacking the source of the drivers of the crisis will have the biggest payoff in the long run, despite requiring resources and a shift in mentality at first. A more sustainable cycle of our lives will be better utilization of our resources.
Written by Zein Tyno, Class of 2024
Sources:
https://harmony1.com/recycling-sustainability-quotes/
Photo Credits: