Looking Forward

Video Transcription

Hi, I'm Jensen Morgan. We're going to talk about some great concepts in environmental science. Today's topic is looking forward. So let's get started.

Looking forward, people need to realize that when it comes to environmental issues, there are no silver bullet solutions. A host of various approaches and solutions will be needed to address the myriad of environmental challenges humans face. We're going to talk about how to move forward with environmental issues in government, business, and on an individual level.

For government policies to work, they will need to be politically possible. They need to target key players and decision makers who could shift behavior and have impacts on environmental issues. They need to encourage behavioral change through regulation, monitoring, and enforcement, and they need to provide education and information through various avenues.

Government capabilities to meet environmental challenges include implementing taxes and fees on substances and actions that can harm humans and the environment, provide subsidies and grant opportunities to encourage development of substances and human actions which are beneficial without being environmentally negative. They can facilitate and collaborate between stakeholder groups, pass and enforce childbirth limitation policies, implement and enforce energy consumption reduction policies, reduce energy consumption in government facilities, and improve energy sources and promote green politics.

Private businesses can improve their agricultural practices for longevity, productivity, equity, and health. They can decrease their energy consumption, improve their energy sources. There are some companies that market themselves as green companies, but do not actually follow sustainable or green principles.

When companies do this, it is called greenwashing. Monsanto, a large genetic engineering seed company, has been accused of greenwashing. However, there are strong viewpoints both supporting and negating such accusations.

Individuals can also take action by encouraging and practicing social norms and attitudes which support sustainable lifestyles. This could have widespread impacts in behavior change over time. The original campaign to reduce, reuse, and recycle was such an effort. It ended up increasing people's awareness of how to manage their waste streams, and how to protect the environment by improving how they disposed of waste. Family size can also be determined by individuals, if they want to have less children, which can reduce human population growth.

People can become more environmentally literate and conscious by educating themselves on important topics and issues, both in their communities and abroad. Becoming environmentally literate about global issues which might impact on individual's lives is also becoming easier as technology improves. People can also choose to purchase greener products, such as eating more organic foods. People can choose to build homes that are more ecologically friendly, as well as take collective action by joining or supporting environmental nonprofit organizations.

Now let's have a recap. We talked about ways people can address environmental issues moving forward at the government level, in the business realm, and at the personal individual scale. Well, that's all for this tutorial. I look forward to next time. Bye.