I will often hear politicians talk about issues that are important to the country and the world, such as the economy, social issues, health care and education, but it seems that environmental issues are usually considered to be of secondary importance, and I really feel that this is a big mistake.
This has been a passion of mine for many years, but it really hit home for me the other day when I was watching an episode of the show Highway to Heaven that originally aired in 1986. The show revolved around environmental issues.
In it, Michael Landon's character appears to three powerful men, two of them being the heads of energy companies and one being the President of the United States in sort of a play on the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carrol. Landon's character shows the men what will happen if people don't stop polluting, depleting the ozone layer and burning fossil fuels.
This was a show that aired over two decades a go, and those environmental issues were already serious problems them. When you think about how much worse they are now, you can't help but shudder and wonder when governments are going to start taking some serious steps toward correcting these problems.
One of my favorite documentaries is An Inconvenient Truth, which was created by former Vice President and environmental activist Al Gore. In it, he shows how environmental issues such as climate change have affected ecosystems, weather patterns, and food crops, and what could and will likely happen as a result.
He brings up a good point when he talks about the complaint that stronger regulations on such things as car emissions and other forms of pollution would hurt the world's economy. He aptly points out that if we don't have a world in 50 to 100 years, what does the economy matter?
For decades, we as humans have taken and taken from the earth, with no thought of sustainability or the consequences of our actions. Now it is time to start thinking seriously about environmental issues and what we can do to preserve the world in which we live.
We have already taken great steps. Through the reduction of chlorofluorocarbons, the hole in the ozone layer has virtually disappeared. Governments are also taking steps to reduce greenhouse gases and people are recycling now more than ever.
Companies are starting to invest in alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar power, and scientists are working on drought-resistant crops. It is an encouraging sign that people are starting to take environmental issues more seriously, and for the sake of our planet and our future, I hope that the trend continues.