Perspectives on Sustainability
I recently surveyed 21 individuals to establish awareness regarding people’s perspectives on sustainability. I wanted to hear their input on what they believe needs to be done in the world to protect our environment from depleting as fast as it currently is.
As a basis for the rest of my survey, I wanted to establish a clear definition of sustainability. Everyone has a different outlook and I wanted to hear the different levels of understanding.
SURVEY RESULTS
When asked what sustainability means to them, the majority of the respondents had similar answers to “there will be enough resources for the future generations to live on.” Essentially, people should want our world to last longer than it currently is.
Our energy consumption is increasing day by day. It is essential that we act now and reduce our carbon footprint before it’s too late. According to David Usher, we have about 12 years left until the global warming date. In other words, the ozone layer depletes as global warming increases. This means that approximately 12 years from now, the sea-level would rise, swallowing some cities. This is one of the reasons why we need to make changes as soon as possible.
100% of respondents agreed that our society isn’t doing enough to protect the environment. When asked why they believe this is, one of the respondents stated, “I believe that people have already done a lot of damage to our planet. If we want to reverse the effects of the damage we cause, it’s going to take large populations and a lot more regulations to do so.”
I agree with this statement because even if you are doing something individually, it won’t make a significant impact unless everyone else hops on the bandwagon. There were a lot of similar respondents claiming that not enough people care and that as a society. We are too self-involved to worry about our environment. If people choose to be ignorant about the environment surrounding them, then they are clouding their judgment on the vital aspects of life.
ARE CORPORATIONS DOING ENOUGH?
Another comment I found interesting was, “I think we’re all trying our best but, the bigger blame goes to big companies that actively contribute to destroying the environment in a more direct way.”
The reason I found this interesting is that corporations make up a great deal of our population and have a high impact on air pollution and the environment as a whole. I understand that these corporations need to mass manufacture to keep up with the consumer market but, they need to implement and enforce strategies to reduce their emission of greenhouse gases.
While you can argue that some companies are implementing sustainability programs, you can see that it’s not enough. Now more than ever, we all need to be contributing to developing a more viable world to live in. It’s not enough for a few people to care. Everyone needs to care!
REFLECTION
This survey was very insightful because I recognize that people are aware but it isn’t enough to only be conscious. Everyone needs to take action for sustenation to occur: the government, large corporations, small businesses, and individuals.
David Usher (Human Impact Lab), Playmind Studios and researchers at Concordia University. Web development by Waseem Hasan and Jonathan Gallivan. (n.d.). Climate Clock | Human Impact Lab.
