Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Earth is Our Responsibility




For over two hundred years now, especially since the industrial revolution, mankind has contributed to the pollution of the earth. This mass pollution has devastated our water ways and other natural resources. We are dependent upon oil, and we have a need for alternative energy sources, which will enable us to shift our uses of energy to cleaner more renewable sources of energy.


What do you feel can be done in order to clean up the earth, and do you feel that mankind and all nations have a responsibility to invest in cleaning up the earth? Do you think this should be a priority, and should the largest nations do more than smaller ones?


How do you think an effort to clean up the earth, and step up the use of alternative energy sources would affect the job market?


You may feel that we can just go on with the level of concern and effort to clean up the earth that we presently have. If so, speak on it.




Khattab

13 comments:

English student said...

I do feel we all have an obligation for cleaning up after ourselves and by doing so we set good examples for everyone around us. There a lot of things we are already doing that have made great strides in cleaning up the earth since I was young from the recycling of paper, plastics and metals and the reusing these materials in many of the items we use today. However, at what cost to the earth have these recycling efforts made, many of the facilities that produce or reuse these products are making more waste and many of that waste cannot be reused or is being released into the ozone. Do I think it's a priority yes, should it be our number one priority,NO, because there are many other issues our nation and many other nations need to address such as unemployment, world hunger, and poverty. Yes the larger countries have more of an obligation than smaller ones because they create more pollution,but just because the country is small does not mean they are free from helping out.
There are many ways from reusing food as fuel or even tapping into more energy efficient fuels or using our own resources from not using foreign oil to using more mass transit more efficient or even walking or riding your bike more often. Just by reducing what we use individually can help the process move along much quicker in my opinion.
Yes, I agree that making more efficient energy or less pollution can effect the economy, but I'm not sure it would generate more jobs. If we make more efficient products we run the risk of losing or taking jobs away from other sectors of industry.

Buddy Carpenter

English student said...

Our nation as well as many others have come so far in the decades of working on a cleaner environment. I think that in time we will be able to reverse what has already been done. I feel that every person, company, and nation should have responsibility in helping to clean up what is already done as well as utilize their ability to keep it clean. The littlest thing such as recycling, using products made from recycled things, cleaning supplies that contain chemicals that won't hurt the environment and so on, will help greatly now but it won't help what is already done. To fix what is already done would take trillions of dollars that our country does not have. So cleaning up the earth is not a top priority as we do not have the funds to do so, but it will probably be a number one priority in fifty years or so. Cleaning up the earth will definitely provide more jobs because people will have to be paid for the work they are doing. Larger industrialized nations should have more responsibility for clean up than the smaller underdeveloped countries should have less responsibility for the obvious reasons industrialized nations have done more harm than the underdeveloped countries.
Amber Johnson-Garcia

English student said...

we do need to come up with better plan than filling up the local garbage landfill. Years ago; in decatur they closed a landfill that was suspected of illegally dumping barrels of toxins, then covering them up. the sangamon river flowed through the back part of the landfill. when it flooded they had to close until the water level dropped. There are places like this all over our country. what is worse yet; developers will buy landfills that have been deemed safe and build houses on them. When families start having unexplained illnesses; then the truth comes out about what their homes are built over. Another thing that is bad the amount of garbage you see on the side of the road no matter where you go.Why can't they throw it away when they get to their destination.we do need more products made of biodegradable materials.Even if it cost a little more when you buy things at the store.It is going to cost less than it will be for the next generation cleaning up after us.There are alot of lazy people in this society who rather throw garbage on the ground than dispose of it properly. When they get caught they should show their faces on t.v like america's most wanted. Heck,make it a mini series; as they are doing community service. There does not seem to be anything good on t.v but reruns.
kevin h

English student said...

I believe that everyone truly has an effect on the earth, some more than others, and we all leave 'carbon footprints'. I think that most of the people's 'carbon footprints' can be greatly reduced just not being lazy and always taking the easy way out of thing. Instead, people need to look around and see exactly what they are doing to the Earth. For example, If you live in the same neighborhood as a fellow employee, then the smart thing to do to help the Earth and not let 2x as much carbon dioxide in the air would be to take turns driving.

Another thing that people do is not recycle. Recycling is such a huge thing these days, but still people don't choose to partake in the act of recycling. My theory is that these people are lazy. It takes work to help the Earth, work to ask the co-worker to switch off driving to their job, and it takes work to recycle. People just don't help the Earth because they are lazy or they honestly don't care about the effect they are leaving on the Earth.

I am not saying that everyone should take all their time and try to be completely 'green' as everyone is saying, just take a little more time out of your day and try to help the Earth, and not yourself.

Jake Bock

English student said...

I feel that the earth will come to an end if we don't take care of it. The planet is like a car, you have to maintain it, groom it, and make sure it never breaks down. Our planet has been in danger for decades, and I hate that most of it is blamed on today's society. If renewable sources was used centuries ago then this planet would not be in the danger that it is in today. I know that they didn't have the technology but they also had people that had alternative ways to green instead of hurting the environment. It's a sad thing because I'm a mother and to nurture something with your every being and watch someone destroy it would make me angry. I think that we all as human beings, business owners and animals should learn to work together to change the way this world turns before it is to late. I get so made when I see a person walking down the street and throws a paper on the ground. Trash is what they are for not throwing the paper in the trash. Ha!

Makeisha Riley

English student said...

I believe that it is the responsibility of every person who lives on this planet to help clean up the earth. It is unfair for some people to carelessly pollute the earth without caring to help clean it up. That leaves a dirty planet for people later on. They will have to deal with the filth that was left by earlier generations. I think that it should be a priority for all nations to help in the cleaning of our planet. This would include using funds to not only clean up our current planet, but also to find out how to help our planet not return to its filthy and unhealthy state. I believe that countries should get out of war with each other and begin to work together to clean our planet. Wars create pollution as well. People should view world pollution as a common enemy and work together to prevent it. What is the point of world peace if there isn’t a world to be peaceful on?
I do not think that larger nations should do more than smaller nations because it is a worldwide issue. This means that each country should equally share in the cleanup of our planet. If anything, it should be that the more wealthy nations should do more. They could use their wealth to help research cleaner energy sources so that people are not cleaning up a planet that keeps getting dirtier with harmful and polluting energy sources. But I do believe that it is also a duty upon the more impoverished countries to help in any way they can as well. Every human being is responsible for cleaning up our planet and it is a duty upon each one of them to take part in fixing this world wide problem.
Ayah

English student said...

In order to clean up the earth, each individual continent, country, region, state, county, city-state, city, and town must play there part. In terms of cleaning up the earth, we should all start recycling in one form or fashion-- or another. Another alternative of cleaning the earth would be to harness the power of solar energy so we don’t have to use as much oil and other natural resources. For instance, there was once a model of a solar powered car. But it was never released in mass production due to the fact that gasoline companies would crash and lose major profit. Also, another alternative would be more mass productions of biofuel. We could preserve the earth and all the other natural resources at an alarming rate if we could just efficiently use the power of renewable resources. If we could all convert our vehicles to biofuels such as vegetable oil and soybeans we could cut down on greenhouse gas emission at a substantial rate. Or even if we all started taking mass transit instead of driving all of our individual cars every day. Also to save the earth, we need more things like earth night!(where everyone in the country cuts off the power for about an hour or so). In terms of aid, I think the larger nations would have more responsibility (BY DEFAULT) since they’re bigger, and they have a greater population than everyone else. In terms of cleaning up the earth and the job market…I think it would have like a yin yang yo-yo type effect. Because jobs would be created to solve the problem but people like electric companies, miners, and oil companies would lose THERE jobs. Like I said before and I’ll say it again--we all have to play a role in preserving the earth, or our kids and our kids kid’s lives will be in peril.

Pikachu

English student said...

We were given this planet to live on, so I think everyone should be pitching in to take care of it and to keep it clean. No one wants to live in a dirty neighborhood or city.

I think that small things like recycling or cleaning up your own yard and property can have a big effect if everyone did it. I do believe everyone has a responsibility to help keep our earth in good condition. I think the larger nations should do more because they have more land, but the smaller ones need to keep their land and beaches clean as well.

I am not sure about how the job market would be effected in this situation. I think if we started using more resources because we could (if everyone was keeping the earth clean), we could lose jobs or cause more to be created. If we found a way to create a new plant or factory for something resourceful, there would obviously need to be people to manage it.
-Hannah Miller

English student said...

Yes I think it’s every human being is responsibility to clean up the earth, or at least pick up after themselves, stop littering and start recycling for one. I think each country should participate as much as they can, physically and financially. I don’t think this topic is our number one concern, especially in America. We have debt issues that need addressed and taken care of, along with a long list of other things. I think in the mean time we could be doing what we can, but not directing all our energy to this situation when we have starving children, homeless rates rising, unemployment rates, etc. I do think it’s an issue worth looking into, but maybe after the U.S. fixes its other problems first.
Heather Denam

English student said...

I think a lot more can be done to clean up the earth. From people not littering to countries making more strict laws against environmental waist. This is another subject to where all you can do is do things yourself. There are a lot of groups out there trying to recycle, and go green. I do believe we owe it to our children to not leave them with limited resources and a messed up world. But then again not everyone believes that. Doing your part to make the world better is the only place you need to start.

Adrian Enriquez

English student said...

Alex

I think that everyone needs to pitch in. A lot of this pollution effects farms, crops, and other resources that we have. The down side to that is the fact that we need a lot of these pollution causing companies for the economy. All in all it’s kind of a losing situation. You can’t have a big factory that boosts the economy without emitting pollution. Even the cleanest energy source that’s strong enough to support these companies would emit it. I think that it’s just a downward spiral that can’t be fixed really. True we can slow it down, but it can’t be stopped. Oil, the main resource isn’t clean, but it really makes the world goes round with all the things you can make with it. Honestly I don’t even see this problem ever being fixed, especially with all the guys who do things behind the EPA’s back

English student said...

I believe that the governments are more responsible for allowing the Earth to get polluted. Governments are in place to make laws and enforce them. They are there to help everything, from human beings right down to the smallest animals. People everywhere litter, we can’t stop them. If people really cared about the Earth everyone would have come to school today on a bicycle, a bus, carpooled, or like in the old days a horse. A lot of people claim to care about the earth, but if you look closer, they’re really only advertising.
I think that with all the money the President, Vice President, Senators, or Governors get they should spend from their own pocket to pay people to help clean up the planet. No one works for free.
I also think that all nations in which are capable of helping financially should help. I don’t think it’s fair for countries that are free from pollution to have to help other countries because they didn’t make the mess. There are countries in which barely use motor vehicles; instead they walk, ride bicycles, or even use horses or camels. Their air is clean and there’s been studies that people in those certain places of the world actually live longer and healthier.
I think that alternative energy source would affect the job market in a way because if factories closed down it would put a lot of people out of work. It would also cause the owner of that factory probably go out of business. But this in a way is contradictory. If it was mandatory by all governments to close down the factories people would be looking for new ways and new products that save energy, actually creating jobs, increasing other jobs.
In the end all people should clean up after themselves. People should care more about the way they’re living, instead of living in filth. God created this Universe. God gave us this world as a trust, meaning for us to take care of it. God gave us this Earth clean free of pollution. Who are “we” to pollute something that wasn’t even ours to begin with. This whole life was given to us temporary. We should do what’s best for this life, not worse. It’s everyone’s priority to help make this world a better place to live.



Lori

English student said...

We all need to realize that cleaning up the Earth is all of our responsibility. We cannot put the responsibility for the task on the shoulders of just one person or just one group. We all live here and depend on the resources from the Earth so we all need to act like it and do our share. Big or small, all countries need to own up to their bad habits and learn new habits that will help the Earth instead of harm it--unless we all want to find another planet to live on. This task is definitely important and needs to be put on the list of our top priorities. Big countries, since they have more inhabitants, need to focus more on large scale alternatives and different ways to do things that will preserve some of the Earth's natural resources and clean up the mess we have already made.

We need to set up more programs to entice and encourage people to do their part and recycle, refrain from littering, dispose of their waste properly (in small scale to large scale), conserve resources, and just be more mindful of how they treat the Earth. These improvements may create more jobs and give a boost to the job market, but depending on how we go about doing things (i.e. using machines instead of human/manual labor) it might affect the job market negatively. If the steps and measures to save the Earth become more machine based, people may be out of jobs (i.e. garbage men, recyclable/trash sorters, landfill workers, etc.) Regardless of how we go about saving the Earth we all need to do our part and fast, before it's too late.


Robert McClinton