LEGISLATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Is it possible to legislate the environment? That is a big question that current governments are now facing.

It must be decided if it is possible to force people to care about the future of our planet.

In every school in the United states and around the world children are taught each year about the importance of the environment.

Environmental legislation has deemed that all American school children learn each year in their science classes how to protect the earth and make it a safer place.

Environmental legislation is also extending to our homes.

Laws are passed each year to limit the dangers caused to earth by excessive waste and pollution.

Global Environmental legislation determines the type of gas you put in your car. It determines the type of light bulbs you use in your home.

Many parts of our lives and our everyday activities that are not under environmental legislation are being studied for their environmentalimpact.

Does this sound like we are currently living under some form of “environmental rule”?

Some may say yes and be very resentful, but the truth is that the environmental legislation and our knowledge about the environmental impact we have on the planet has not done near enough to help. Scientists are not seeing enough positive changes in the greenhouse effect or the destruction of our non-renewable resources.

The men who own and run the companies responsible for the de forestation of the Amazon River Basin and the resulting damage it is doing to the earth are intelligent and educated.

They are well aware of environmental legislation and the environmental impact there practices have on the health of the earth. They just do not care. This is only one example of the failure of environmental legislation.

For legislation and the environment to become effective the environmental impact must be felt. For some people it is not enough to tell them that in one thousand years you won’t be able to go out of your house because there is no longer ozone to protect you from sun damage.

They must be faced with the harsh reality that their actions are causing long-term harm.

The most successful legislation enacted so far appears to be at the educational level. It is thought and has been demonstrated that what children are learning in school is making its way home.

In American schools every student has at least one week of environmental education every year.

Presented in many different forms, from puppet shows to real life experiences, environmental education is finally being seen to have an impact.

In American homes children are teaching their parents about the importance of reusing, reducing, and recycling.

It has always been thought that the future of our world rests on the shoulders of younger generations and the choices they make.

In the case of the environment this is especially true. No legislation will ever change the way people live if they do not see the benefit of it to themselves.

What will make a difference is a child telling a parent that the trash they threw on the ground will personally affect his future.