The United States of America has a very interesting debate
on climate change going on. Some say it’s real. Some say climate change is
false.
The biggest contributor to climate change is according to
those who believe in it, is pollution. So what has our country done to combat
it? We passed a lot of laws on industry about how they are allowed to make
things. How their plants can operate. How much pollution they can create while
making all those products we as consumers love to buy.
This made manufacturing very difficult for corporations.
They had some choice though. Do they follow the new regulations to make the
same products with less profit? Do they follow the new regulations and make the
same products at a higher cost that the consumer will have to live with? Or do
they just move their manufacturing to another country with fewer regulations?
I’d say it’s obvious what the majority of corporations chose
to do. They all moved their manufacturing! The good news is that this has
drastically cut pollution in the United States. The bad news is that pollution in
China, where much of the manufacturing has moved to, has reached toxic levels.
You see, we didn’t actually cut pollution. We just moved it
to another place where it was less obvious.
If we as a nation are really going to cut down on pollution,
we’re going to have to pay more money for cleaner manufacturing practices. We’re
going to have to stop over consuming. Sorry, no new car, phone, computer, or
sound system every year or two. We’ll have to actually use things until long
after they’ve broken and annoy us.
The truth is: most citizens of The United States of America
are too greedy to admit this truth. We all want to have our cake and eat it
too, as the old saying goes. Sadly, we are not as honest with ourselves as we
should be if we are those who believe in climate change and are determined to
do something about it.
Look at Hollywood. How many actors claim to fight climate
change while having several million dollar homes across the world… with
multiple cars, heated pools, perfect looking chemically fed lawns and gardens?
How many celebrities have multiple children? Pets? Or other resource taxing
things?
If we want to make changes, we’re all going to have to
compromise. Unfortunately, the majority of people would rather have their
stuff.
So, the next time anyone goes on a climate change rant, ask
them how old their phone, car, laptop, is. Because until that answer is more
than a few years, that person is just pretending to care.
