http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/12/08/rothschild.cop15.comment/index.html?iref=allsearch
This article reflects on what decisions will be made out of Copenhagen. The author believes that even if solutions do come out, then it will take too long for the politics to gear up and get some policies passed and programs instituted. He thinks that change will be most effective if it happens at the grassroots level, if the people drive what they want to see forward. The politicians "can catch up in due course."
It is necessary for people to be behind the green movement. People can drive change, as was exemplified in the grassroots movements in US history, with the prison reforms and insane asylums established because the people wanted them to be. The same can happen with the green revolution. People hold more power than they think. If a population collectively wants something to be accomplished, then the politicians have to comply. Their job depends on it. If people rallied behind this cause and instilled the idea that "nobody is as smart as everybody" as the author mentioned, then change will come much more swiftly, which is what we need right now with the growing population and our strong appetite for resources. We have already done so much damage to our atmosphere that we need to reverse it as soon as possible. Politics is a long and tedious process. By the time a treaty is passed and some resolutions are hammered out, the damage done by humans could be irreparable. Grassroots is a much faster method when approaching this issue. Human will is powerful, and if the people want to see something done, then its going to be done. That's not to say that politics is a bad way of handling the situation. If compromises can be created and decisions made quickly, then politics is a great way of approaching the issue of global climate change. Politics can provide a permanent policy or law that people are obliged to obey. The reforms they pass could be long lasting and could be much more systematic than they would be if they were done by everyday people.
Source: de Rothschild, David. "Comment: People Power Can Drive Change" CNN 8 Dec. 2009
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I agree that people must make the environment their own prerogative if we want to stop climate change. I also agree with Rothschild that government can be remarkably inefficient, especially in regards to explosive issues like climate change. However, at some point the government is going to have to make serious efforts. Even if I lived a completely carbon free lifestyle, the effects on the earth would be negligible. This holds true if I got everyone in the class or even everyone in Lexington to embrace such a lifestyle. However, if our government can galvanize the nation to collectively reduce carbon emissions and spurn companies to follow suit, we will finally see positives effects.
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