Are We Responsible Caretakers of this Planet?

[coberst]

Are We Responsible Caretakers of this Planet?

I am inclined to think that each human generation must consider itself as the steward of the earth and therefore must make available to the succeeding generations an inheritance undiminished to that received.

In this context what does "careful and responsible management" mean? I would say that there are two things that must be begun to make the whole process feasible. The first is that the public must be convinced that it is a responsible caretaker and not an owner and secondly the public must be provided with an acceptable standard whereby it can judge how each major issue affects the accomplishment of the overall task. This is an ongoing forever responsibility for every nation but for the purpose of discussion I am going to speak about it as localized to the US.

Selfishness and greed are fundamental components of human nature as we squander ours and all succeeding generations’ inheritance. How does a nation convince its people to temper this nature when the payoff goes not to the generation presently in charge but to generations yet to come in the very distant future? Generations too far removed to be encompassed by the evolved biological impulse to care for ones kin.

How is it possible to convince a man or woman to have the same concern for a generation five times removed as that man or woman has for their own progeny? I suspect it is not possible, but it does seem to me to be necessary to accomplish the task of stewardship.

Would it be possible to convince the American people to reject completely the use of air-conditioning so that generations five times removed could survive? Is it possible to create in a person a rational response strong enough to overcome the evolved nature of greed and selfishness? I cannot imagine any rational motivation of sufficient strength to divert the natural instincts of an unsophisticated people for an extended time. Therefore, the motivation force must be emotionally based or the people must become more sophisticated quickly.

Perhaps a compelling sense of stewardship must come through religion. Rationality appears to be insufficient for creating a compulsion to sacrifice immediate gratification for such remote ends.

Are you a good steward of this planet?

[crystalmoonshin]

I am inclined to think that each human generation must consider itself as the steward of the earth and therefore must make available to the succeeding generations an inheritance undiminished to that received.

Being the inhabitants of the earth, it is our duty to take care of it. I've read somewhere that to contribute to the rapid deterioration of our planet is to rob the future of the next generation. I find this very true.

Raising awareness is a one big step. The hardest part is giving up what one's accustomed to, like in what you're proposing about the air-con thing since we all know that CFC is one of the worst pollutants.

Since I was young, I love reusing stuff, most especially plastic bags. I'm so happy that my parents encourage us to do so. But people here in my country don't seem to care much. A lot of them don't even know how to dispose of their wastes properly. It's such a shame that we don't give much importance to things that really do matter.

[skib]

I myself do not have nor use air conditioning in my home or vehicle, but you would be hard-pressed to convince those that want to be pampered by comfort go give up their A/C.
As for being a good steward- I try, but my job requires me to drive a vehicle with a large engine and, thus, poor fuel mileage and awful emissions. I do try to be environmentally conscious in all other aspects of my life.