Every human brain is wired the same: to fear short-term threats. As a result, long-term problems such as climate change and world hunger are neglected by the U.S. until they pose a major threatーusually by then it is too late. Many scholars, understanding this disconnect, try to demonstrate the importance of investing in the future by instilling fear. Most prevalent today, it is repeated that if humans continue to release greenhouse gases, Earth will not be able to sustain human life and everyone will die. In response, people tend to comment, “not in my lifetime” or “scientists are dramatizing environmental observation for research money.” This is anticipated: explaining the long-term effects of present actions is still expecting human minds to grasp a pessimistic future that is easier to deny. …show more content…
This being said, Theodore Roosevelt made conservation an American responsibility and value; the preservation of land and natural resources is now an imperative part of national and ecological welfare.
By passing legislation and integrating agencies into the government dedicated to conservation with purpose, Roosevelt made environmental protection a permanent American duty. The Man on Horseback recognized that 20th century factories boomed as a result of the Industrial Revolution, commenting that the U.S. had “become great because of the lavish use of [...] resources. But the time [had] come to inquire seriously what will happen when [...] forests are gone” ("Theodore Roosevelt and Conservation"). After voicing his concern, Roosevelt established the United States Forest Service (USFS) to manage the 150 national forests instituted during his administration ("Theodore Roosevelt and Conservation"). Consequently, it became a federal obligation to insure the salvation of trees, a vital economic and ecological resource; ruthless corporations would deplete the resource otherwise. In