Rural Nature Lover Paradox

[urbpan]

People who love Nature (in my most optimistic moments I imagine that this includes a majority of people) of course like to be surrounded by it. Often nature lovers are repelled by cities, and take effort to instead live in the countryside or surrounded by wilderness.

But living outside of the city causes a greater environmental impact: Trees must be cut down, roads must be built, and resources are sent out through diffuse networks. Rural people use more energy heating and cooling their homes, getting to and from work as well as running simple errands. As the population increases, whole non-urban communities are created, paving over wilderness and paving the way for more cars, more houses, more development.

In order to live where you are surrounded by natural beauty, one must participate in a system (development of rural areas) that is slowly and surely destroying that beauty.

Discuss.

Comments

[wakarusa.livejournal.com]

forgot :) (and hope you are not too hung over from your celebrating last night!) last night I sat up, smacked myself on the forehead, and went DUH. I had been puzzling and puzzling over what you meant about rural development meaning cutting down of trees... of course, you're in massachusetts. Forests there, how could I forget? I'm so used to development here meaning that people stop burning prairie and let the trees grow - which kills our prairie.

completely other way around.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I'm very happy to get the Kansan perspective, and to be reminded that mixed deciduous forest isn't the law across the continent.