Why Bother By Michael Pollan Summary

President Barack Obama once claimed, “No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change.” Obama’s statement brings forth the global issue of climate change that continues to affect not only everyone’s favorite homeland, Earth, but also the human population as well. The issue also imposes several consequences on the human population as it begins to impact sacred resources. New York Times author Michael Pollan instills a sense of fear as he addresses the topic of climate change in his article Why Bother?. Pollan essentially argues that although the planet is in grave danger due to excess amounts of continuous carbon emissions, the human population has done absolutely nothing to stop it. The author asserts, “For us to wait for legislation or technology to solve the problem of how we’re living our lives suggests we’re not really serious about changing–something our politicians cannot fail to notice. They will not move until we do” (Pollan), arguing that as the population wait for legislation or a
Pollan argues, “Measured against the problem we face, planting a garden sounds pretty benign, I know, but in fact it’s one of the most powerful things an individual can do–to reduce your carbon footprint, sure, but more important, to reduce your sense of dependence and dividedness: to change the cheap-energy mind” (Pollan). Although Michael Pollan’s idea of everybody having their own garden sounds ideal, maintaining a garden requires dedication and commitment in which a majority of the population does not have. Additionally, the plan would not be completely successful as there are some individuals who refuse to partake in the action as well as the average modern day individual being too lazy to meet the daily demands of a garden since it requires physical labor. Though Pollan’s suggest seems to be a bit extreme, it is still a solution and an attempt to solving the bigger