Sustainability Argument Essay

Have you ever heard the term “sustainability”? You probably have, since you can easily find the term anywhere—in the news, on television, or even displayed on products that are considered sustainable. Sustainability is generally defined as the ability to preserve and maintain resources over a long period of time. It is usually associated with using renewable energy sources such as solar energy and wind power and protecting the natural environment. However, it is important to expand the definition of sustainability so that it includes more than environmental issues. Human activity is critical in creating a sustainable world because our practices affect the Earth, both in good and bad ways. We need to have a complete and in-depth understanding

Generally, environmentalism is regarded as a “liberal” problem in the United States. However, According to Alex Zorach, who wrote “Sustainability: Building a Consensus between Liberals and Conservatives,” there are many ways in which “conservative ideals and approaches can be used to preserve, protect, and restore earth’s ecosystems” (Zorach 144). Zorach is trying to convey the point that conservatives care as much about environmentalism as liberals do. A great number of conservative politicians support policies that manifest the ideals of conservation: protecting, saving, and restoring the resources of Earth’s ecosystems. The only difference is that liberals tend to solve environmental problems with the creation of new laws, whereas conservatives insist that we should eliminate expenditures that have negative effects on the environment before creating new laws. However, as Zorach argues, what both parties need to realize is that environmental degradation and destruction are consequences of human actions as a whole, not specifically liberal or conservative decisions. The natural environment is damaged when we use the environment for our own benefits, without considering the havoc we are wreaking upon it. Rather than remaining at odds with each other, liberals and conservatives should combine forces and work together; they should seek a consensus and bridge the political gap between them. Perhaps then, they will be able to come up with a solution that addresses the problems that humankind