"We are very fond of blaming the poor for destroying the environment. But often it is the powerful, including governments, that are responsible"

This quote by Wangari Maathai speaks with the tendency of people to blame the bad for environmental destruction. Maathai is suggesting that it is not constantly the bad who are accountable for ecological damage, but rather the effective, including governments. This implies that governments have the power to enact policies that can either safeguard or ruin the environment. Maathai is also suggesting that the effective have a responsibility to secure the environment, as they are the ones who have the power to do so. This quote is a reminder that the powerful have a responsibility to safeguard the environment, which blaming the poor for ecological damage is not always accurate. Maathai's quote is a call to action for federal governments to take responsibility for their actions and to protect the environment.