Poll: Are you an environmentalist?

[similar.squirrel]

I agree on certain points and disagree on others. I believe that we need to reduce the human population drastically, stop fucking up ecosystems and find a better way to deal with our trash.

But the biosphere has recovered from worse than what we are doing [cyanobacteria killing off most anaerobes, for example]. If we go extinct, we deserve it. If we don't, we will learn a very harsh lesson.

[read: sad sigh]OK, I will ask. How do we legally and morally lower the human population? Because many people would literally go to war if you. and while the ensuing war would lower the population some, war is not a good solution.

Education.

sorry for the wait.

How would education help reduce the population? I suppose that it would mean that people would not have as much "Board Sex". That would help. Also people would think through their actions more. "If I do not want to get pregnant I should not have sex". So yes, I can see how education would help.

(single word statements are not as good as an explanation)

The correlation between education and lower rates of childbirth has been documented. On one hand, studying leaves less time and/or inclination for raising multiple children.
And if you understand how the world works, you're somewhat less likely to keep messing it up. Ideally, anyway.

 

[Wolfenbarg]

I agree on certain points and disagree on others. I believe that we need to reduce the human population drastically, stop fucking up ecosystems and find a better way to deal with our trash. Not so sure about greenhouse gases, definitely pro-nuclear [until we find a better alternative or the population falls].

But the biosphere has recovered from worse than what we are doing [cyanobacteria killing off most anaerobes, for example]. If we go extinct, we deserve it. If we don't, we will learn a very harsh lesson. The planet ultimately doesn't care, despite the wholesale misinterpretation of Lovelock's Gaia Hypothesis by hippies.
Short of complete nuclear annihilation, nothing will stop life. Even that mightn't do it, knowing those crafty extremophiles.

Population problems will sort of solve themselves unless there is a major hitch around the corner. Technology has essentially solved that problem in the west and in Japan on a macro level since after the baby boomers tuck themselves into their graves, the overall population levels will be lower. We're not having as many children here in the west because we're too busy taking more work hours and being senselessly entertained. The third world is a bit of a problem, but they have every right to achieve technological progress without having some foreign bodies tell them they can't have babies.

We don't emit nearly as much greenhouse gases as the ocean or volcanos, so if that's the issue, then we're really boned. Nuclear is a great option for replacement of course, just so long as people are willing to retrofit the old plants to keep them running at a 21st century level instead of the same 80's tech they were originally built with. Until they figure out how to separate hydrogen from water economically, that will be our best bet.

Personally I'm a yes and no. I personally believe in sustainability and removing as much waste as possible. I also think that such a thing is a personal prerogative, and no one has the right to tell other people that they have to live this way.

 

[Icehearted]

No, what's the environment ever done for me? Besides, I've seen people be wasteful and destructive both collectively and individually to degrees that dwarf anything I could ever do to harm Earth.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

Of course I'm an environmentalist. I love using the environment to further myself and humanity. I mean, if we don't reach out and use what we've got, our species as a whole ain't going anywhere.

So yeah, I love the environment and am a fervent environmentalist...

Wait, that's not what environmentalist means? Really? Oh... wait, then does that mean I'm wrong about being a humanitarian as well?

 

[Sun Flash]

Not really. I only recycle in the house because I live with my parents, and recycling gets you clubcard points at Tesco so it's 100% SRS BZNZ for my mum.

When I move out during summer though (*fingers crossed*) I'll just throw everything in the bin.

I don't own a car either, so recycling is the only way I can improve on my eco-friendlyness. Like someone somewhere said; compared to other types of pollution recycling is like "turning up to an earthquake with a pan and brush".

I'd probably react less indifferently to it if the cause wasn't being forced down my throat at every opportunity. I have one friend who is pro nature and anti-anything that harms animals, even at the expense of humanity and takes it to ridiculous levels, which pisses me off to no end.

 

[Andalusa]

I care about the Earth, yes. We've only got one of these things, so why not look after it?
I'm not a huge, crazy environmentalist. Most things are down to choice. But it's not that hard to recycle, cycle or walk to work if possible. Carpool or take the bus or train to minimise fuel usage. We're running out of oil to make petrol.

I won't attack anyone for choosing to drive for the hell of it, heck, once I've passed my test I'll be out every sunday on my motorbike, even if I don't have anywhere to go. I won't shove my views into other people's faces.

It's all down to choice.

 

[Voration]

I do my part by recycling, turning off electrical appliances etc but I get annoyed with organisations like greenpeace when their members say one thing for us but have different standards for themselves. I'm typing this while thinking of a person I know who openly spews knowledge on environmental issues and then goes home to leave his laptop permanently switched on and plugged in.

I suppose my big issue is with hypocrites, this applies to most situations/groups

 

[SleepyOtter]

This sums up my thoughts on it. I'm all for moderate consumption of our finite resources, but pretending that it's for any other cause than our own immediate survival is deluded, self-aggrandizing hypocrisy.

I would say you were a ninja for doing this, but I am very late to this discussion. You win

...This time

 

[Daffy F]

Today my school was literally bombarded with Greenpeace ads and promotional materials. I personally dislike the way Greenpeace and most of the other environmentalist organizations prove their point.

So far all that Greenpeace did in my city was protest, protest, whine, shout, block a road and kept calling us murderers. But enough about Greenpeace. I'm curious how many escapists are convinced environmentalist. As in love nature and join non-profit organizations in the support of Earth.

Are you fighting for our planet? Are you very wasteful and don't care? Personally I am trying not to waste resources, but I do it more for myself than for the planet, so I don't have to pay a bigger electricity/garbage bill. (But I'm all for solar/wind power and anything non-polluting, as long as it doesn't cost us a fortune...like it usually does).

As far as I can tell Greenpeace are a terrible face for environmentalism. My parents are environmentalists, so I guess it's rubbed off on me somewhat.

 

[Necrofudge]

I like the general idea of environmentalism and I'd very much like to see more progress with the movement. It is really unfortunate that the most well known groups are a bunch of pseudo-terrorist nutjobs.

 

[Gilhelmi]

I agree on certain points and disagree on others. I believe that we need to reduce the human population drastically, stop fucking up ecosystems and find a better way to deal with our trash.

But the biosphere has recovered from worse than what we are doing [cyanobacteria killing off most anaerobes, for example]. If we go extinct, we deserve it. If we don't, we will learn a very harsh lesson.

[read: sad sigh]OK, I will ask. How do we legally and morally lower the human population? Because many people would literally go to war if you. and while the ensuing war would lower the population some, war is not a good solution.

Education.

sorry for the wait.

How would education help reduce the population? I suppose that it would mean that people would not have as much "Board Sex". That would help. Also people would think through their actions more. "If I do not want to get pregnant I should not have sex". So yes, I can see how education would help.

(single word statements are not as good as an explanation)

The correlation between education and lower rates of childbirth has been documented. On one hand, studying leaves less time and/or inclination for raising multiple children.
And if you understand how the world works, you're somewhat less likely to keep messing it up. Ideally, anyway.

Thank you for quantifying your statement. Now I know what you meant.

I say, I do agree with you. Education solves many problems.