David Grey's Blog

Being Green is about taking responsibility

There's an interesting article by Dr Tom Crompton, change strategist for WWF-UK, on the BBC News website which argues that the time for small measures to help address climate change is over and the time for large-scale action is now overdue. It's a good article and I agree with the points he has to make.

There are also some interesting comments from other readers, including one who states

'Save the planet? Seriously? Stop being so arrogant. The planet will be fine. Humans may be in trouble, but the planet isn't. It's a selfish desire to save your home, so stop pretending to working towards something noble.'

This point is a valid one and one I've heard before. The planet was around long before human beings and will still be around long after the human species is extinct. But does this absolve us from worrying about climate change and the impact that we have on the planet? Absolutely not. Although humans may be the dominant species we share the planet with many other forms of life. If we mess up the environment through our actions and cause the human race to become extinct then that is our own fault. But if we do cause changes on such a scale we will undoubtedly take a large proportion of other species with us to oblivion.

We don't own the planet, we just happen to live here and have a duty of care to the other species that share the planet with us. Addressing climate change and other environmental issues is a social responsibility challenge. It is about accepting responsibility for our actions and the consequences they have on the world around us. Simply relying on the fact that the planet will outlive us is an abdication from personal responsibility and our duty of care. Yes, tackling such issues will make our lives and homes more secure but to suggest that this is the only concern of the environmental movement is missing the wider issues of our responsibilities as a species.

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