Question: Whose responsibility is the environment?
Graham Hill: I think all three of those legs of the stool, business, consumer and government; are lagging. There’s no question. This is the issue of our times.
Thousands of scientists are saying we have ten years to make major advances in this. And so all of those three groups need to push really hard forward, and I think the government’s one. Consumers and businesses probably move quicker than government in general.
It’s a long process, and part of that’s a good thing because there is a process and we try to get to a right solution. All of us need to do more, and the government can absolutely do more. They can absolutely have a big impact. On a simple level, I don’t spend a lot of time focusing on policy, but basically; the good and the bad. It’s that simple.
I believe in market economics, but I don’t believe that the market just figures it out all by itself. I think that you need to set some base rules. And I think that’s the government’s job. And so hopefully they can move quicker and quicker; the good and the bad. And that should help, and business can just follow along. And they’ll work within the rules, and consumers will do their part.
Question: Can environmentalism be more integrated into our system?
Graham Hill: Absolutely. Yeah, I think it’s not recognized. We haven’t valued it monetarily or otherwise, frankly. So I think it absolutely can be better integrated.
We just didn’t know that it mattered. Like that’s the thing. We just didn’t know that it mattered. For the last 30 or 40 years, we figured out that it does matter. And so now we’re readjusting, and we just need to push hard to adjust quickly.
Recorded on: Oct 16, 2007
Discuss
Andrew Dennis on January 18, 2008, 9:10 PM
My neighbor Jim Tilbon is responsible for taking care of the environment.
Andrew Dennis on January 19, 2008, 2:10 AM
My neighbor Jim Tilbon is responsible for taking care of the environment.
Elizabeth Barnwell on January 21, 2008, 12:15 PM
Environmentalism IS a shared responsibility and it is irresponsible to place it on the shoulders of a select few – especially if that select few doesn't believe that global warming is a problem. Everyone is responsible for the situation our environment is in because each of us is leaving a footprint that only a rise in sea level is going to cover. Environmentalism requires that we be smarter consumers and that we should demand producers be more environmentally conscious in regard to production and distribution processes.
Environmentalism is more than just a word we use to describe our responsibility; it is an ideal, a passion, that we need to nurture and grow in order to ensure our continued existence. There is a general misconception that the earth is going to be destroyed if we don't become more environmental. It is a misconception because the earth won't be destroyed, it is our species that will be.
Elizabeth Barnwell on January 21, 2008, 5:15 PM
Environmentalism IS a shared responsibility and it is irresponsible to place it on the shoulders of a select few – especially if that select few doesn’t believe that global warming is a problem. Everyone is responsible for the situation our environment is in because each of us is leaving a footprint that only a rise in sea level is going to cover. Environmentalism requires that we be smarter consumers and that we should demand producers be more environmentally conscious in regard to production and distribution processes.
Environmentalism is more than just a word we use to describe our responsibility; it is an ideal, a passion, that we need to nurture and grow in order to ensure our continued existence. There is a general misconception that the earth is going to be destroyed if we don’t become more environmental. It is a misconception because the earth won’t be destroyed, it is our species that will be.
Kedd Burmeister on April 23, 2008, 2:05 PM
The concept that Government should be part of the solution has been proven to be false in every situation that the Government has been asked to be part of the solution. There is overwhelming evidence that the more involved the Government gets the more expensive and less efficient the solution to the problem becomes, and still people keep saying that the Government should part of the solution.
If you look at the damage done to the environment by countries around the world you can’t help but notice that the larger and more regulatory the Government is the more widespread and severe the damage to the environment.
It is very easy to ask the Government to do what you “The People” are too lazy to do yourself, like protect your environment, clean up your trash, conserve energy, and take care of your own health.
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