In Michael Specter's, Big Foot, he begins to analyze the affect of each individual products carbon foot print and what affect that has on the environment. A new trend of documenting each products carbon emission on a universally recognized scale so that consumers could make conscious decisions to choose products seems to be a positive yet complicated way to make a difference. As consumers it is ethically responsible to make decisions on what products to buy based on how they are affecting the global climate change but to what extent? The math associated with figuring out a products carbon foot print is very extensive and leaves communications majors like myself baffled and confused. In order for this measurement to be affective at all it needs to mean something to consumers who like me are afraid of math equations more complicated then your basic college algebra... and that is pushing it. This number will take into consideration the travel that each product requires to get where it's going, how it is processed, how it is packaged, and how it is prepared and stored even in the home. After the first few steps are calculated it seems to me it gets pretty tricky. Between the fertilizer that was used to grow the crops and the gas it took to get the fertilizer to the farm, the numbers multiply so quickly. As complicated as all of this seems, it is necessary and is no longer a choice for us to be come more ecologically responsible as consumers to help clean up the mess we have made of the earth.
As a consumer I have not held up my end of the deal in this battle against mother nature to save the planet as we know it. Lets get real here, we are in way over our heads. Like the text says, even if we stopped all carbon emissions today, the world would still warm for at least a century... that is crazy. After reading articles such as Big Foot I am truly blown away by the enormity of my personal affect on our planet. This article was affective because it really provided the exigence necessary to create a more eco-conscious shopper with my day to day purchases. I want to help, and I need to start.
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What is Specter's small object? OR, does he have a series of small objects? If yes, how does this series add up into the logical sequence of his argument?
ReplyDeleteI wonder how we will start making more eco-conscious choices? It seems that we have to buy what they offer, it almost has to start with the corporations, it is all so fustrating and frightening isn't it?
ReplyDeleteDon't feel like its too great to make a difference!! Everything counts. It does get over whelming when we realize the total amount of damage we as humans have made to our planet. Do you think becuase of this article you wills start eating more produce that is closer to you?
ReplyDeleteWell the medium object is the huge supermarket chain and the small objects are all the products that want to go green. It works because it shows products competing to go green to save the world AND compete for the customers that are concerned with lessening their own carbon foot print.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in order for there to be a significant change that EVERY single person would have to change their lifestyles drastically, including the help of the companies. Is it ever possible?
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