Personal Responsibility to Nature - Essay Example

 Personal Responsibility to Nature Living in a country where energy is scare and thus in high demand, oil becomes one of the most ludicrous commodities desired by many—not only by oil companies, but also by peoples in different sectors who can further their self-interests through supporting more oil drilling. The recent oil spill at Gulf of Mexico, however, arouses public awareness on to what extent should we exploit natural resources without causing great environmental and economic harm to the country. Also, it raises the question on how we can individually and collectively pose a positive change to the current situation where the struggle between the natural environment and the commercial sector leads to irreversible harm to nature. After the gulf oil spill, many environment protection groups immediately updated their websites to educate the public on the background and consequences of the accident, while at the same time encourage the public to take actions to prevent further environment disasters. Many of these groups have also posed videos of wildlife affected by the oil spill, such as seabirds that are so heavily stained with oil that they can no longer fly. The video at the Friends of the Earth’s website features images of dying animals and workers who futilely attempt to clean up the shore, together with the background noises recorded at an environmental protest, rendering an extremely sympathy arousing product. The video juxtapose footage of politicians supporting oil drilling with the statement “If we listen to slogans, more disasters will follow. We have better energy choices.” Under the section titled “Political Implications,” Friends of the Earth continue to arouse emotions such as anger and dismay by stating that the gulf oil spill occurred mainly because of the inaction of the federal government and the encouragement of certain politicians who will be benefitted through the oil companies. The rhetoric used to describe the oil companies, particularly BP which caused the gulf oil spill this time, is very negative, with words such as “dirty,” and “dangerous.” Friends of the Earth adopt a different strategy when describing the economic and environmental consequences by highlighting numbers instead of blatantly villainizing oil companies. For example, the website states that “At a rate of 5,000 to 20,000 barrels of oil being spilled per day, the spill's volume could eclipse that of the Exxon Valdez spill in two weeks to a month.” Using statistics and a well-known environmental accident as an example are useful in orienting people to the seriousness of the current gulf oil spill, and thus they will be more likely to read on and take appropriate measures against the oil companies. Another environmental group, Sierra Club, uses even more flaming rhetoric to blame the politicians by saying that “It's troubling at a time like this to see that some of our nation's leaders are still more interested in protecting the oil industry than protecting American taxpayers.” Contrary to the emotionally charged diction used in the statements of environmental groups, the BP press releases are written in plain language, offering the public a simple updates on their remedial work at the gulf. However, it appears that despite the great number of personnel and machinery deployed, the gulf remains highly contaminated. Considering the emotional appeal of the Friends of the Earth website, it is very likely that most of us will believe that the oil companies are villains with no redeeming properties. However, despite the responsibility we all should take in protecting the environment, we also cannot dismiss that our demand for oil is ever increasing as technology advances. It seems inevitable for politicians and oil companies to advocate and develop more means and locations for oil drilling. Otherwise, the whole country will suffer when we run out of energy. If we are not willing to change our lifestyle to conserve fossil fuels or to develop a cleaner form of energy, we are in no position to put all the blames on the oil companies. Most of us are familiar in energy conservation techniques, such as turning off electrical appliances when they are not in use and using public instead of private transportations. However, not many of us are willing to sacrifice comfort and convenience in our daily life for the lack of an immediate result. Sometimes, we also have a way of thinking that our individual actions do not matter much as long as the majority is changing their lifestyle for energy conservation. This kind of mentality is almost deadly to any causes that require collective actions and a concerted effort. As each of us constitutes a part of the social and environmental fabric, we cannot simply shrug off the responsibility to preserve natural resources. In addition to making small changes in our daily life, we can also exert bottom-up pressure to elected officials in signing bills to protect the environment. Most environmental groups post petitions on their websites for visitors to sign or e-mail them to their respective senators. By being politically active and staying informed on environmental issues, we will be able to influence politicians in legislating laws that help conserve natural resources and protect the environment. As mentioned above, another way to help prevent further oil spillage is by developing a cleaner form of energy. This again can be achieved through communicating with elected officials. Friends of the Earth, for example, allow visitors to copy and paste a template to President Obama, urging him to invest more in clean energies, such as solar and wind power. Although most of us lack the financial and scientific resource to improve clean energies, we can easily express our concerns and interests by writing to our democratically elected government. Despite the fact that developing clean energies can help protect the environment, some worry that this will lead to an even higher unemployment rate due to the personnel that would be laid off from major oil companies. This concern seems valid; however, once the solar and wind energies mature, these industries are very likely to train and hire many personnel in order to satisfy the energy need of the country. It is unlikely that the number of jobs lost in the oil drilling industry will not be recovered. In conclusion, we should all share the responsibility in protecting the environment by making small steps in our daily life and by getting involved politically. Although economic benefits often outweigh environmental concerns in our society, if we are willing to change our behaviors individually, soon we will be able to significantly improve the environment condition collectively. Works Cited Friends of the Earth U.S. Web. May 25, 2010. BP Global. Web. May 25, 2010 Sierra Club. Web. May 25, 2010 Read More