The Human Being Burden

I have watched extensive coverage of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. I see the horrible images of wildlife soaked in crude oil and blobs of oil washing up on beaches and suffocating the wetlands, yet I turn off the TV and I continue my normal activities. Unfortunately or fortunately, there is an underlying emotion of guilt in these activities. I continue to drive my car to work and purchase my morning coffee,which comes in a Styrofoam cup. Status quo. I am not effected by the oil spill. In fact, the gas prices have not even skyrocketed. So I or many others do not see any of the effects even though we see it on the television. That is the problem. It seems to me that in order for the US and the rest of the World to take action, it has to be effected in its entirety. Unfortunately, you do not want a global impact that becomes irreversible because then it would be too late. How do we get it in our thick heads that we are damaging the planet? The signs are there from the 1000 year drought in Australia or to the last decade being the warmest ever or the more frequent El Nino effect. Then there is the oil spill in the Gulf. Once again, it is out of sight out of mind. Is the problem that we look at all these events independently and not together? I am not sure what would make us change our habits. I know I need to change mine. I just hope the rest will follow.