Pages

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Enviornmentalism and Realty

One of the challenges the environmental movement has faced is connecting to average people in a meaningful way. On Tuesday the Toronto Star published an article on the environmental damage caused by divorce. This is another example of finding blame for the state of the environment without any meaningful practical insight.

The study concludes that divorce hurts the environment because multiple households consume more resources that would otherwise be optimized in a single household unit. The conclusion should be classified in the no brainer department.

Jianguo Liu who co-authored the report offers a solution to the environment impact of divorce, "If people really can't get along and have to get divorced, maybe they could consider getting remarried with somebody else, or staying together with somebody they like – their relatives, or whatever..." "...Separation, prolonged singledom and empty nesters present the same environmental challenges, "

If improving the environment is going to have any hope for success, solutions that incorporate the realities people face are key. Ignoring sociological and economic factors are a recipe for failure.

No comments: