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We Must Stop Global Warming Now! Essay

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When the topic of global warming comes up in conversation many people either groan and avoid conversation, or don their dueling gloves and prepare for a heated debate. Some people feel guilty and concerned; some simply do not care. Different points of view yield different stances on the subject. Coming from the scientific and environmental points of view, myrmecologist Edward O. Wilson discusses the severity of global warming, some of the threads of thought that oppose his own, and some of the consequences of continued mistreatment of the environment in his book The Future of Life. While some people may claim ignorance on the subject, global warming and substantial data showing annual increases in global temperature have …show more content…

Others are aware of the situation, but are unwilling to make changes because their focus lies elsewhere. One of the main points of view that frequently opposes the environmentalist and ecologist ways of thinking is that of the economist. From the economist's perspective, the focus is on production and consumption. He may think: “this is only hurting the environment a little bit, if there are consequences they will be far down the road and we can deal with them once we are more financially stable and have developed better technology.” Nobody can argue with the economist for prioritizing in such a manner, and Wilson attempts to reason out the logic noting, “he is right, of course. Every species lives on production and consumption... The economist's thinking is based on precise models of rational choice and near-horizon time lines. His parameters are the gross domestic product, trade balance, and competitive index... The planet, he insists, is perpetually fruitful and still underutilized” (24). The economist is merely thinking in the way that he has been taught to think; he is logically managing his immediate goals, but he is failing to utilize critical thinking to fully grasp the issue at hand. Waiting until global warming is a more immediate threat and assuming that the damage will be stoppable or treatable at that point are concepts that fail to take the immense risk into consideration. The

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