It’s not that the idea is not terrifying, it’s just that the most terrifying video would actually involve no debate whatsoever. The video itself demonstrates how important it is to approach to the environment in different ways. It poses the question of whether or not we take action now, later, or never. It seems to be popular around the web, although I had yet to see it until some friends at work passed it along.

My own opinion? It’s an interesting debate to weigh the pros and cons but I hardly see environmental regulations causing a worldwide depression and if governments want to prevent a worldwide depression, then they have to be more active in enticing customers and businesses to do better. Regulation won’t do much but if we provide the proper incentive for citizens and consumers to be green (not just fashionably green), that will encourage businesses to change. The policy wonks in government will have to be a little more interactive with the ground level (i.e. the citizen).

On the other hand, a prime example of what governments can do to encourage business change would be what Juan Enriquez in the previous video pointed out in order to encourage and maintain innovation in the alternative energy business.

Regardless, governments need to take a more active role and for the most part they are … recently. But that is as long as citizens and consumers are actually genuinely concerned about the environment, not just simply being fashionably green. Ideally the change has to take place within every individual — it’s not easy and I can’t claim that I’ve done a whole lot, but I am trying to tweak my behaviour — bit by bit. Maybe, there is hope but a lot of it lies within each individual, consumer, and citizen.