2008 Woodie Awards
Human greed could lead to our extinction
Amanda Heidman
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Opinion
At a presentation made by Ed Begley Jr. last Tuesday regarding environmental awareness, a Western Illinois University biology instructor made the terrifying prediction that the current dominant species on Earth, Homo sapiens, could be extinct by the year 2050.
This, he said, will be due to carbon emissions and global warming. It would be a waste of time to discuss the options that help a person reduce their carbon footprint on the world because, for the most part, it has all been said. Everyone knows how to do his or her part. The problem is motivation, or lack thereof.
As pessimistic as it sounds, most people get the motivation to do nearly everything in life from money. Because of this, it only makes sense to use that natural money hunger to benefit the world. One way this could happen is with the help of insurance companies. Most commercials interest people by advertising their willingness to inexpensively insure a driver despite a horrible driving history.
Instead of taking it in this direction, the companies should offer inexpensive insurance to people who drive electric or hybrid cars. Sure, this is no indicator of the type of driver a person may be, but it would help popularize environmentally friendly automobiles, and it is a chance the company should be willing to take.
Another thing that motivates people is time. This is a fast-paced world and everyone is in a hurry to reach his or her next destination. In California, people driving eco-friendly vehicles are allowed to drive in the otherwise deserted carpool lane despite the number of passengers in their car. Other states should follow this trend. The point of the carpool lane is to reduce carbon emissions from an unnecessary number of cars all going to the same place.
However, many people would rather sit through hours of traffic on their way to work just so they can enjoy their coffee and radio morning show alone. By mimicking California's carpool lane policy, people would be more willing to drive hybrid and electric cars, allowing them to achieve all of this. They would be able to get to work much quicker, travel by themselves and they would be doing their part to extend the human race past 2050.
It is disappointing, to say the least, that people cannot be trusted to do what they know is best for the world they are living in. Everyone is looking for a way from which they will personally benefit, and the way things are now, driving hybrid and electric cars do not seem to offer enough incentive for people. The only way to cure this is by reaching out to natural human motives: money and time.
This, he said, will be due to carbon emissions and global warming. It would be a waste of time to discuss the options that help a person reduce their carbon footprint on the world because, for the most part, it has all been said. Everyone knows how to do his or her part. The problem is motivation, or lack thereof.
As pessimistic as it sounds, most people get the motivation to do nearly everything in life from money. Because of this, it only makes sense to use that natural money hunger to benefit the world. One way this could happen is with the help of insurance companies. Most commercials interest people by advertising their willingness to inexpensively insure a driver despite a horrible driving history.
Instead of taking it in this direction, the companies should offer inexpensive insurance to people who drive electric or hybrid cars. Sure, this is no indicator of the type of driver a person may be, but it would help popularize environmentally friendly automobiles, and it is a chance the company should be willing to take.
Another thing that motivates people is time. This is a fast-paced world and everyone is in a hurry to reach his or her next destination. In California, people driving eco-friendly vehicles are allowed to drive in the otherwise deserted carpool lane despite the number of passengers in their car. Other states should follow this trend. The point of the carpool lane is to reduce carbon emissions from an unnecessary number of cars all going to the same place.
However, many people would rather sit through hours of traffic on their way to work just so they can enjoy their coffee and radio morning show alone. By mimicking California's carpool lane policy, people would be more willing to drive hybrid and electric cars, allowing them to achieve all of this. They would be able to get to work much quicker, travel by themselves and they would be doing their part to extend the human race past 2050.
It is disappointing, to say the least, that people cannot be trusted to do what they know is best for the world they are living in. Everyone is looking for a way from which they will personally benefit, and the way things are now, driving hybrid and electric cars do not seem to offer enough incentive for people. The only way to cure this is by reaching out to natural human motives: money and time.
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