"There is nothing optimistic about the future of the environment.

" Discuss

While there have been increasing 'green' and 'environmental green' initiatives that give some reason to
be hopeful that the environment of the future will not be as ruinous as we predicted, on the whole,
there is little to be optimistic about that the environment might be 'saved', that centuries of exploitation
be undone and the calamities brought about by such mistreatment averted in the future. These
initiatives, increasingly prevalent as they are, cannot fully help to lessen the greatest disasters of climate
change and environmental exploitation as they are too small-scale and involve too few people,
politically, socially and economically. Any improvements that might result can be argued to be
inconsequential in the greater scheme of things, hence my pessimism about the future of the
environment.

Politically, although there have been increasing attempts at international cooperation for green
initiatives, the major attempts at a global, comprehensive green initiative that will possess the impact
needed to reverse the cause of environmental destruction have failed, hence my lack of optimism for
the future of the environment. One needs to look no further than the 2009 Copenhagen Summit, a
gathering on the environment meant to get countries to reduce their carbon emissions, implement
environmental friendly policy and other 'green’ initiatives while also replacing the aging Kyoto Protocol.
However, the whole summit failed, as conflicting national interests between the developed states of the
West and the developing states of the East just derailed everything. Both sides degenerated into finger-
pointing, feeling that the other side needed to take more drastic sacrifices as they were more to blame
for the current state of the environment. As a result, nothing of substance was achieved, except a vague
declaration void of any concrete targets, full of statement of intents and guaranteed to be ignored by
just about every participant. About the only useful policy that came out of the whole fracas was to
preserve the forests in various countries along the equator, by paying them not to log or burn their
forests down. While it is true that many environmental conscious individuals and organisations,
frustrated at such constant bickering among their governments, have decided to move ahead and work
together internationally to help the environment like Greenpeace or the World Wide Fund(WWF), their
efforts are but a drop in the proverbial ocean. Hence, the failed attempts politically to convince
countries to cut their emissions and work together to help the environment have left me pessimistic
about its future because it is such precisely such cooperation and policy that is sorely needed but
essential if the devastating effects of environmental destruction are to be averted and this lack of
optimism continues when considering the economic aspects

Economically, the materialism and consumerism that have become a cornerstone of Western culture
and are spreading in the economies of the East cause one to pessimistically quip that we are spending
and consuming our way to environmental ruination, with no turning point in sight, regardless of the
attempts of sustainable development. Throughout the modern age, on of the key tenets of economic
growth was to encourage consumers to spend, purchase and consume more goods and services. As a
result, the environment was constantly exploited, the resources constantly depleted and carbon
emissions constantly rising in order to service the greater production of goods and services. Inevitably,
this marked the rise of materialism in Western culture, a habit that needs to be quelled for the
environment to stand a chance of not being utterly ravaged in the coming years. However, not only has
materialism not been tamed, is has instead become more resurgent and widespread. Consumers are
now depending more and newer things in shorter periods of time not only in the Western world but the
increasingly prosperous Eastern countries as well, thus showing that materialism has taken root in the
countries of China, India and the rest of the East. Such countries, having tasted the ambrosia of
economic prosperity and higher standards of living, are very unwilling to consume or produce less for
the sake of the environment. Hence, considering that old habits die hard and people will only be
satisfied with the increased consumption of goods and services in the foreseeable future, the
exponential depletion of our natural resources and the increased exploitation of our environment is
then the inevitable consequence of our materialism. Can one then feel ever feel hopeful about the
future of our environment? While some might argue that the increasing environmental-awareness of
consumers around the world and the rise of sustainable development, where countries seek to grow
their economies while carefully managing their resources wisely, might a glimmer of hope for the future
of our environment and the creation of a chance for the Earth against relentless abuse of her
environment and resources, they are but glimmers of hope and the overall picture is one of pessimism
and bleakness, Again, their attempts are nothing more than pails of water trying to stop a raging, full-
blown forest fire, the environmental-aware consumer in the very minor minority and the practitioners of
sustainable development too few now and in the near future, Hence, economically, there is little to be
optimistic and a lot to be pessimistic about for the future of the environment.

Socially, as well, there seems to be little hope of the major shift in the mindset and attitudes that might
bring the drastic changes that is needed to ward off just the worse effects of our environmental abuse,
never mind the other nine-tenths of the iceberg underwater unseen that is the effects of our
exploitation, like climate change and other disasters. In fact, increasingly, the opposite has been
occurring as many people are becoming more skeptical about climate change and other consequences
of our ruined environment. A recent survey, taken in Britain, where nearly half of those surveyed
expressed the opinion that there was no such thing as climate change. The situation was not helped by
the recent scandal about some scientists allegedly falsifying data and evidence about the effects of
climate change, making it seem that such effects were more drastic than they actually were. In the US as
well, social attitudes towards consumption have stymied US efforts at implementing a serious energy
policy, mainly through taxing oil at the gas pumps, as even the legislators themselves regard climate
change as a figment of someone’s imagination, created to control the spending habits of Americans.
Again while they are increasing numbers of people who believe in the very real looming disasters of
environmental destruction and that remedies must be put in place now, their numbers are just
overshadowed by the vastly greater number of climate change non-believers. Can one then feel
optimistic about the future of the environment if increasing numbers of people believe that
environmental destruction bear no ill effects, that their consumerist habits need not change, more so
than those who believe in the unsustainability of the materialistic lifestyle?

Finally, one can only feel very pessimistic about our environment’s future upon witnessing our
natural disasters and warmer climates that have vastly reshaped our world, often for the worse. Such
effects of climate change and other consequences of environmental destruction have had exponentially
greater, worser impacts and look set to continue along this path with no sign of abating in the near
future, hence my pessimism about the environment. Increasingly, there have been greater monsoons,
stronger hurricanes and more persistent droughts as our greenhouse gas emissions have wrecked the
delicate balance present in our nature. 2010 for example was one of hottest years on record and the
past decade was the hottest ever. In fact we are fast reaching the concentration of 350 parts per million
of carbon emissions in our atmosphere that will send us on a path of no return. The persistent droughts
have decimated food crops and sent prices skyrocketing, while various hurricanes from Katrina to Earl
spread even greater death and destruction than their predecessors as the warmer air amplifies their
calamitous powers. Such exponential freak disasters have increasingly become the norm and many
experts have warned that the effects of the disasters will only get worse. Thus, I am increasingly
pessimistic that the environment might actually have a future, never mind how good or bad it might be.

It is often said that water droplets, over a long period of time might eventually wear down a
huge stone. Similarly, there are hopes that, politically, socially and economically, environmentally
friendly efforts, like those droplets of water might wear down the giant stone that is environmental
ruination and provide some sort of future for our environment. However, the problem is that these
droplets of efforts are but droplets, too little and too few to wear and break down the giant rock of
environmental destruction that is growing bigger and stronger at the same time, compounding the
problem every day. Hence, while there might be reasons to be a little optimistic about the future of the
environment, the bigger, bleaker picture leads me to feel that that there is far more to be pessimistic
that the environment will ever have a happier future.

 A well argued, fluently written essay that shows an impressive amount of knowledge about the topic.
It’s a pity about the handwriting – it’s so hard to read what you’ve written hat it actually becomes an
impediment to understanding.

 To get a better grade, engage more explicitly with the absolute term ‘nothing’ in the question.

C- 23/30

L- 15/20

Tan Wei Yen