One issue that has always been of particular interest to me is that of livestock farming, especially that of dairy cows. I believe that farming animals is ultimately unsustainable. However, this issue is very important to society because so many people rely on the livestock industry for not only food but also jobs. I also feel very personally connected to this issue because I chose to not eat animal products and I think that it would be very beneficial for people to start moving towards plant-based diets. This issue can be related to the society pillar because many people rely on the farming industry for jobs and if those jobs were to be lost this would greatly affect their lives. This would have a negative impact on not only individual families but also on farming communities as a whole. This ties into the economic pillar as well because the livestock industry brings in enormous amounts of money. The government is also extremely invested in agriculture and the money that is produced as a result of livestock farming. The issue of livestock farming is also very important in the discussion of climate change and the environment. One of the biggest sources of methane emissions comes from dairy cows. This has been extremely detrimental to the environment. Along with this, many habitats, especially rainforests, have been destroyed to build farms on the land. Livestock require much more land than other types of farming.
Another issue that I feel very passionate about is the health of the ocean and the recent formation of dead zones. This issue is of extreme importance as the health of the ocean, or lack thereof, is directly related to the health of the world and the people living on it. This is a way that this issue can be related to the society pillar. Many coastal communities, particularly those on the Gulf of Mexico, have been negatively affected due to dead zones off of the coast. The quality of water is very bad there and threatens individuals’ health. Many of the dead zones that have formed recently are due to oil spills. This ties into the economic and environmental pillars because there are many huge oil companies that do drilling along the Gulf of Mexico and when there have been spills this kills much of the marine life in that area. When the marine life dies, this has a negative impact on the environment. However, the oil companies involved are very wealthy and bring a lot of money into the US economy. The government also has close ties with the oil industry. Another aspect of the economic pillar is that an enormous number of people in the United States have jobs in the fishing industry and when the ocean is not healthy that also means that fish populations will not be healthy. This could cause a lot of people to lose their jobs because we will not be able to fish to the extent that we currently do.
The last issue I chose to discuss is animals living in captivity. I’ve always had very conflicted ideas about animals in captivity so I thought it would be interesting to explore it more. This issue relates to the society pillar because many people feel that zoos serve to better society as people, especially children, are able to see and learn about animals that they may otherwise not have the opportunity to interact with. Many think this could help people to gain an appreciation for wildlife and cause them to want to protect these animals. The economic pillar comes in because zoos and other organizations that have captive animals, such as circuses, make a profit and provide jobs for people. Zoos also put money towards research. This relates to the environmental factor because some people would say that zoos work towards conservation and they help to restore endangered species. However, there is also controversy over how well the animals are treated and if animals can really thrive in captivity. By taking some animals out of their natural habitat this can affect their behavior and therefore have a negative effect on the environment.
I intend to further explore the issue of dead zones in the ocean. I plan to watch documentaries about this issue and research more. I would like to discover how the average citizen without a scientific background could have a positive impact on this problem. I think that a possible challenge could be that there is not a whole lot of research about this issue currently. Another challenge is that it is a very time-sensitive problem so a solution needs to be found quickly.