Environmentalism

Tomorrow is World Environment Day. And the theme for 2012 is "Green Economy: Does it include you?"

With that in mind, I will not be doing anything out of the ordinary to celebrate or observe this day. I won’t be switching off lights for an hour, planting a tree, or not using my car. Why? Because in the greater scheme of things, my actions will not make a statistical difference on that one day.

It is all good and well to show how much electricity we save during Earth Hour. The power companies quake in their boots during that dreaded period, not for the revenue they are losing, but for the strain on the system when everyone switches on all their lights and appliances again. With our aging infrastructure it is a scary thing to think of all that power needing to be supplied to all the do-gooders ravenously consuming power after their good deed. The same can be said for advocates of electrical vehicles. They may not rely on fossil fuel energy and produce fewer emissions, but where does the power come from to recharge the vehicle? And don’t forget the carbon cost in manufacturing the vehicles in the first place!

You might think that I have a negative or defeatist attitude to our environment. You are wrong. I do care deeply for the environment, but we need to face the facts that in a third world country we are financially reliant on fossil fuels for energy. It is a lofty ideal to set targets for phasing out fossil fuel use, but are the alternatives economically viable for all citizens? Change is needed, of that there is no doubt, but sensationalised activist promotions are not the way to change the mind of those in charge.

I’m not bashing the earth loving, tree-hugging hippies out there (well...not too much). We need to be smart about how we induce the change in thought on environmental care. Short bursts of solidarity will not change the minds of ‘Big Power Incorporated (TM)’. What is needed is a concerted effort to bring about a new way of environmentally aware living. It may take the form of small steps such as recycling home refuse, using less electricity at home, not making unnecessary trips in the car, conserving water, growing food at home, and educating youth on the importance of, and the pleasures of, a clean environment.

It is a tall ask to bring about change in a household (trust me...ever try sticking to a new eating plan or exercise routine?). People are not inclined to change, to put in extra effort for long term gains. But if we each start to bring about a change in our lives and through example influence others, in time we can reduce our reliance on ‘dirty’ power and bring some change. This will be infinitely better and exemplary than a petition for lower emissions or cutting power for one hour a year.

Who’s with me on this one?