According to Michael Pollan, global climate change is a looming issue over today’s society and could potentially make the Earth unlivable. Many scientists and people who study climate change, such as Al Gore suggest that individuals begin a movement toward a cleaner, more eco-friendly lifestyle; but Pollan asks the question “Why Bother?” Are the efforts of the few concerned and “virtuous” citizens enough to save our ecosystem and will they even be made in time to stop the increasing global trend? There are many arguments that less concerned individuals can make to avoid changing their comfortable lifestyles, Pollan brings up a study which reported that in some cases walking to work can actually negatively impact the environment, if it increases the amount of food one consumes. So what is the alternative to relying on individuals to make a change in their carbon footprints? Pollan argues that although some people such as Michael Specter believe that laws are necessary in order to reverse the effects of climate change, the underlying problem is still our current lifestyle and no amount of money, laws, or regulation can change that. He states that today’s specialized society has made it easy for people to overlook environmental problems that do not occur near their home or work. In conclusion, Pollan offers a few tentative reasons that people should “bother” to reduce their impact on the environment. If a person “bothers” they can set an example for others, this could lead to a change in societal values, which could in turn change our way of life. One way to make an impact on the environment as well as society is growing some of your own food; this can lower your carbon footprint and your dependency on cheap energy for transportation. Providing some of your own food by growing a garden seems to be the most important message Pollan wants to convey because there are so many different ways that it affects the world.
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