Environment

Hey again, I'm Kate Rose! I forgot to mention last time that next year I will be a senior and in Journalism 2- it'll be my first year in Journalism-which is disapointing because I've always been interested. So please excuse my newbie-ness.
Some of us on here are also going to be taking AP Environmental Science next year. I just wanted to check up on your progress (I've only read "Silent Spring"). In this book Rachel Carson makes some key points. One that is the most interesting to me is that since the begining of human kind, we have always strove to dominate our surroundings. From animals to natural resources. In her book Carson illustrates the unspeakable harm that we have inflicted on nature. I myself have always considered nature our victim, a defenseless force. But this is simply not true: Carson's examples prove that when we push nature pushes back harder. She describes a kind of arms race against nature. For example, we spray pestisides on a certain insect and although they die down for a few years- they mostly always come back twice in numbers. We have all witnessed the way that nature adapts to threats. But we dont always consider ourselves the threat. In truth, mother nature has suffered and she will also make us suffer. We are not fighting against another nation. We will not be able to draw up a treaty. We will have to stop the harmful chemicals if we want nature to stop defending itself with things like the West Nile Virus.
Her book was interesting and I agreed with many of her pionts. I believe that we cannot continue on the course that we are on, selfishly pushing nature around, without consequences. I am also of the belief that we as the human race are destroying the environment.
I, personally, feel guilty everytime I get in a car. Im not sure why the size of my ecological foot print is justifyable to myself and to others. I have a theory that those of us who are well off enough should conserve as much as possible. People with enough money should recycle, these people should also be wealthy enought to eat Vegiterrian or Vegan. We should have composte gardens, we should plant trees. Those of us who have the available resources need to use them- It is our responcibility. I realize that many do not think this way. And I am extremely interested in both viewpoints. I know for example that some think that the recent trend in global warming is merely a pattern that the earth has always followed. I'd like to hear more of not only my viewpoints but of yours. Tell me some Pros and Cons!