Quote:
Originally posted by Sir Michael:
Man, where were you guys, when I was trying to defend myself in the evolution thread, which turned into a religious debate, which turned into an argument over whether humanity is destroying the earth or not? I make many of these same points over there, but I had to defend myself -- alone -- against a bunch who couldn't see how bad things really are.
I won't repeat myself, but the US has 5% of the world's population and uses 25% of the resources. We are pigs, that's for sure. We also have the time and money to be environmentally conscious, but what about other nations where other people struggle just to survive?
Also, India, for instance, has the fastest growing population, and the fastest growing middle class. As we slow down population growth, energy consumption and pollution, they are more than taking up the slack.
It comes down to that the whole world -- everyone -- is responsible for the planet, and until the whole world takes action, we will continue to spiral downwards.
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Aha, the evolution/creationism debate. Yes, saw a couple of your great posts. I've not been around for a while, - got tired of banging head against the same far right brick wall.... [img]smile.gif[/img] (Okay, right/left distinctions can be pretty meaningless, but they're all I've got at present...)
Agree with your energy consumption statement re the US - however, energy consumption in Europe is also far above what it should be. Some European countries are more concious than others when it comes to environmental issues. Unfortunately, the UK is having to be dragged into the arena kicking and screaming. Our current bunch of politicos aren't too keen on measures which might damage the prospects for business in the short term, and that means the environment isn't majorly popular. To take one example, there was a lot of talk about 'congestion charging' - we have the worst problems with gridlock in Europe, not to mention emissions. But congestion charging was about as popular as a smack in the face with the electorate as a whole, and so the idea has been dropped nationally, although some cities, such as London, may choose to implement it if the local council/mayor (in the case of London) decides in favour.
Short-termism. Dontcha just love it?