Do we need to change our way of life to stop pollution?

Do we really need to change our way of life in order to stop pollution on our planet? The answer to this question is anything but easy to give but one thing is sure, since the industrial revolution the pollution levels have been constantly rising, and many environmentalists will tell you that the industrialization is the main culprit behind the global environmental pollution.

This question also belongs to the well known "environment vs industry" category. Why does it always have to be environment vs industry, why not instead environment and industry? Or is it impossible for environment and industry to coexist without being on opposing sides?

Our industry, and economy in general, is mostly based on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. Fossil fuels when burn release harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions which not only contribute to climate change impact but are also responsible for tremendous levels of air pollution in many areas around the globe.

Many environmentalists will tell you that fossil fuels are almost behind every environmental problem, and pollution is certainly not an exception here. But sadly so, at the current moment of time, our way of life still desperately needs fossil fuels because our hunger for energy is great, and fossil fuels are currently the only energy sources that can satisfy this hunger.

Renewable energy looks like the perfect solution with a potential to stop dominance of fossil fuels, ensure cleaner environment, and decrease the magnitude of environmental problems. The only problem is that renewable energy still needs lot of time to fully develop, and time is currently very precious resource, especially given the severity of climate change issue.

We don't have to totally change our way of life to do something for our environment, but our society certainly needs to develop global ecological conscience to change the things around. Too many people on our planet take everything for granted, and this tactic could easily backfire, and even sooner than expected.

Caring for our planet, which is our one and only home, should be something that is written into a genetic code of each and every one of us, but sadly this is not the case with most of the human race. It's mostly all about money, greed and materialism, and these are certainly not the values that can lead human civilization towards the bright future.