There was an article not too long ago on the MSN homepage about how scientists have been using the wrong numbers when calculating the rate of global warming. Those who deny global warming exists say that this is vindication of their point of view. Humans can't be having a very large effect on the environment.
Wake up and smell the Maxwell House!
I don't trust the "official" numbers about anything. One group or another is always going to inflate or deflate the numbers for their own benefit. The way to make decisions about your behaviour is to look at the over all picture. In this case, I would ask myself if I really need to use the car so much. Do I really need to have the air conditioner cranked so high? The numbers don't really mean anything, they are just a barometer, to get a feel for the impact our decisions have.
Imagine, if you will, that all moral decisions were based on the numbers. By that reckoning, a person who causes an accident, through no fault of his own, that kills six people is more guilty than a man who intentionally shoots his wife. Five more people are dead, aren't they? Should he not be punished more harshly? Needless to say, that is a ludicrous argument. Sheer numbers cannot justify action.
What I can act on is what I perceive to be my impact on the environment. I can measure how much I personally throw into the landfill site. I can see the amount of exhaust my car produces to go to the corner store. Which isn't to say that I have the right to feel superior if I recycle more than my neighbour. It just means that I can be confident that I'm doing my part to make the world a better place.
I think the best barometer of how well we each take care of the environment is to imagine the following scenario.
Suppose you lived out somewhere remote. Supplies come in to you by air drop, and recyclables are removed the same way. The air drop is by a means that does minimal harm to the environment. How long is the area around your home going to remain pollution-free? How long will the water and land be clean enough to sustain life at a comfortable level? Think on that one for a while.
Consider the native communities in the Canadian far north. This is the situation they live with all of their lives. They have to be conscious of waste, because getting anything is costly and difficult. Maybe if we could learn to set those towns up right, we could get it right elsewhere.
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