DEAR Jasminda,

Why, on the face of so much evidence, do people refuse to see the importance of the environment?

What do they think is left when we destroy it?

Gina P.

Dear Gina P,

This sounds like one of the existential questions I ponder at 3am, so I’m grateful that you are asking it at a far more reasonable hour.

The short answer is that people’s views are largely shaped by their upbringing, their exposure to different experiences and influences, their education, and their personal qualities.

People who are paid millions (or billions) in ventures where environmental protection is an inconvenience will act in a vastly different way to those who understand that the environment isn’t purely transactional.

There is something incredibly short-sighted and naive about not respecting the finite nature of earth’s resources.

I’m never sure whether the attitude is based on pure greed or supreme confidence in an afterlife up in the clouds somewhere where preserving what’s left of earth doesn’t matter.

Gina, I think the only way to cope with this situation is to do what you can.

Support people with policies that respect the environment; participate in petitions and actions on environmental issues that concern you; make choices in your day-to-day life that help promote sustainability, and join groups with like-minded people.

Carpe diem,
Jasminda.