Now the news of the economic crisis one day has consumed everyone’s thinking power. Day by day people are beginning to forget about other aspects like the one that should concern them as much as the economy. One of those ignored aspects of taste is global warming. Although more and more people are concerned about global warming, very few are actually taking it seriously and taking “green” action. A very good example on this controversial topic is my street where I live in California.
There are different types of families that live on our street. Some are old, while others have just gotten married or have their first child. I mention my street to my friends as a melting pot because of the great diversity of the community. Outside of this mix, there are differences between peoples’ thoughts regarding global warming. To write this article, I conducted a survey on the opinion of 15 families on global warming.
The data I collected was pretty alarming as most of them didn’t care about global warming or had never even heard of it. Of the 3 “golden age” families, 2 of them said “they don’t care as their government predicted life expectancy is not much longer” and the other “golden age” couple said : “We are really worried about the future of our children, but there is very little we can do at this age.” Most senior citizens in the US show a similar contempt for global warming, while very few actually care about their children’s future. Now it goes to 7 families ranging from 30 to 50 years old.
A unique aspect of this group of families was that they had obtained material and economic wealth that created ego and therefore priority for their enjoyment. Two of the families said they had just bought a fuel-efficient car and planned to continue using similar cars for the rest of their lives. I asked them what prompted them to buy a fuel-efficient car. They responded, “high gas prices.” Which is a very common thought process for all people who are going to buy a car (MPG). One of the families said they use a Prius to get to work every day and a BMW 5-series for late-night parties and other social occasions. After a while I understood the reason behind this kind of practice, the ego and community status. The remaining 5 families said that they do not plan to take any different action for global warming. I was given different reasons for answers: “we are not going to waste our lives because of those factory tycoons”, “what is global warming”, “global warming is a myth, I love this ‘cali’ weather”, “I only bought a hummer, so you know my answer” and “I just don’t think it’s worth investing in ‘green’ resources right now, they should be cheaper soon.” This group had a well-developed place with strong roots in the ground. They didn’t care about much more than “living life.” Let’s take a look at the younger group.
Of the following 5 families, 2 of them had been married in the last 9 months and 3 of them had at least one child in the last 4 years. One of the couples said they currently don’t care much about global warming. Her main focus is “getting [their] married couple working”. The rest of the 4 families were very optimistic about the “fight” against global warming. One of them has installed solar panels on its roof and plans to buy a Honda hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. Another family has changed all the fixtures in their house with energy efficient light bulbs They have all sold their gas guzzling SUVs and have bought or are going to buy a fuel efficient sedan The last group of families is the most concerned because they find out about that will be the most affected by the circumstances presented by global warming.
Putting it all together, we have learned that although there is not much going on in the “green age” sense, little by little more people are implementing the conservative plan to save the earth. Young US residents are increasingly concerned about global warming, which helps to see a light on the horizon of dark space.
