Spencer provided intriguing and interesting insight during our interview. As a would-be economics major, Spencer admitted that he had little academic background knowledge about environmental degradation. Instead, he collected information from news sources, primarily from the internet. From what Spencer has gathered thus far, he has formed astute opinions about the state of the world today and has made fair predictions for humanity’s fate twenty years into the future. He believes that most environmental issues arise from the social systems prominent today. Spencer has stated that, “although people are aware, no one really seems to care.” He believes that this lack of concern for the natural world arises from the separation of humans and wilderness. Without a strong connection to nature, he feels that people will gradually become more apathetic to ecological degradation. However, Spencer feels that this current trend of destructive behavior is coming to an end. He feels that there is no need for a large scale ecological crisis for humanity to come to its senses and reclaim responsibility for the biosphere. Though he doesn’t think that our species will completely turn around and adopt an ecologically friendly way of life, his hopes are as follow:
-That people will acknowledge the desecration of natural systems.
-That people will notice and interact to promote environmentally friendly behaviors in social situations (positive reinforcement for recycling).
-That people will start to develop cultural patterns geared towards sustainable living.