With the fall of the iron curtain, we have begun to discover forms of environmental destruction that are unimaginable even in the worst parts of the capitalist West. People are, of course, the common denominator to each of these threats. The important point here is to recognize that the most fundamental threat to our environment is not some corporate or collective entity, not Multinational Enterprise X or Government Y, but rather it is individual men and women from A to Z, as we make choices in every sphere of our lives. Of course, it's not just the people at the top who are culpable. All the rest of us at each level of whatever organization either make our own choices or acquiesce in carrying out the decisions of those above us.
Individuals choose, and too often, individuals choose to pollute.
The organizations which these individuals happen to represent, or the functions they serve within these enterprises are really secondary issues. Power and influence magnify the scope of our decisions, but they do not dictate their rectitude or lack thereof. If we recognize individuals to be the problem as opposed to the variety of nebulous legal aggregates that these individuals may comprise, then solutions to our environmental problems become easier to formulate, and maybe even easier to achieve. The individual polluter either has a head problem or a heart problem. Head problems are relatively easy.