Week 2

1) Dependency on fossil fuels is the most important global environmental problem. From cradle to grave, fossil fuels cause an array of environmental issues. The extraction of fossil fuels adds to further environmental degradation. Techniques like mountaintop removal and oil drilling devastate habitats and weaken ecosystem stability. Still, most frequently this problem is credited with the production of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. However, the combustion of fossil fuels also contributes to acid rain and increased rates of asthma. In these few examples, the consequences of our dependency on fossil fuels clearly affect overarching issues ranging from environmental justice to ecology.

Unfortunately, many industries, like energy and transportation, have built themselves on fossil fuels. There are alternatives, but implementing them requires a massive change in infrastructure, a long and costly process that many industries are not willing to take on. This obstacle is not only economic, but political as well. No politician wants to be responsible for harming an industry, and lobbying groups from fossil fuel based industries have historically provided funding to political campaigns. These factors lead to a great resistance to any movement away from fossil fuels.

There is potential for change, but there is a variety of obstacles which must be overcome. Once we advance to cleaner resources, environmental quality will be greatly improved.

2) To live in an environmentally friendly way is to live in a way that does not impair the ability of future generations to provide for them selves in a similar manner. People find infinite ways of being environmentally friendly, and there are varying degrees of environmental friendliness.

In fact, many make environmentally friendly choices without being conscious of it. For example, people who walk rather than drive, may simply be doing so because they do not have any other form of transportation. Similarly, many people make environmentally friendly choices without understanding why they are beneficial. However, lack of knowledge does not mean these choices are any less valuable to the environment.

The benefits of conscious environmentally friendly practices include consistency. If people are aware of what actions are environmentally friendly and why, they are more likely to continue practicing them. Also, being well informed can encourage people to take on environmental actions, they would not otherwise do.