The Future of Life

Since I began college I have taken about four environmental science/issues classes at three different universities. This argument is something I have heard over and over and over again, even back to my junior year in high school environmental science class. When it comes down to it, Wilson justifies his point remarkably well, outlining plausible and effective methods to conserve and protect the environment. However, one major point is missing in this part of the book. This is the political aspect of the problem. For example, in the United States there are hundreds, if not thousands of environmental activist groups connected around the world. But in the big picture, how much power do they really have? If a president is elected who could care less about the environment, what are the chances that the country as a whole will change any sort of direction in conserving and protecting the environment. Even if there are smaller political figures fighting for environmental issues, it is an uphill battle to gain any sort of ground on the issue.
Another issue which is not elaborated upon here are the people who believe that these problems of overpopulation, pollution, extinction and global warming are simply myths, and that technological progress will solve any problems that we do have in the world. It is difficult to take such a huge concept and make it understandable let alone believable to people who do not want to understand or believe it. So if it is simply a myth, a great many people will not make a move to change the situation until they see or feel some sort of reason to.
Overall this was a great argument with well thought out solutions to important problems. The facts as well as opinions are very persuasive and I believe that if these methods were taken into consideration worldwide, at least to a small extent, the long term effects would be extremely beneficial. One thing that humans need to understand is that we need to stop looking for a short term fix for environmental issues.