Standing Side-by-Side with Al Gore
In today’s news from the Netherlands I read that:
* Central America wants billions for climate damages
Seven Central American countries are going to demand $100 billion from industrialised nations in compensation for damage caused by global warming.
Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama will raise the issue next month at the Copenhagen climate summit. Guatemala's Environment Minister Luis Ferrate says Central America is facing food shortages due to drought and flooding, whose scope is unprecedented.
This is really just the very beginning. I have been involved with various tree hugging causes for more than 40 years. I drove a second generation Prius when I was living in Europe, and now that I have moved to the high desert of America I am driving a third generation Prius. My house has a w
hite roof, and all the light bulbs are compact fluorescents. I’ve even been central to one genuine success in the environmental movement - the Guadalupe Mountains National Park Wilderness area.
But these poor countries are taking the wrong approach by demanding compensation from the more polluting countries. First off, long before these guys get up on their high horses and begin preaching to the big polluters these little tin pot banana republics need to stop cutting down their own rain forests, put an end to corruption, impose genuine environmental restrictions on their mining industry, and stop eating bush meat.
America, China, India, and the other big polluters are mostly just talking a good game, if that. There may even be many people in power in these countries who are sincere and concerned about the impending global environmental problems. But when it comes right down to it they aren’t about to reduce their carbon footprints significantly, if at all. They certainly aren’t going to accept restrictions imposed by anyone outside their countries. No way Jose’.
And as much as I wish it were otherwise, I don’t think the polluters will be willing to force their people to consume less energy if that also means their people having to undergo any meaningful reduction in the standard of living. Mankind has been successful by being competitive, and very often warlike and blatantly brutal. This aggression has now suddenly become a detriment to the future survival of our species.
I will stand shoulder to shoulder with Al Gore as we go down, but in my heart I know this is a lost cause.
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* Central America wants billions for climate damages
Seven Central American countries are going to demand $100 billion from industrialised nations in compensation for damage caused by global warming.
Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama will raise the issue next month at the Copenhagen climate summit. Guatemala's Environment Minister Luis Ferrate says Central America is facing food shortages due to drought and flooding, whose scope is unprecedented.
This is really just the very beginning. I have been involved with various tree hugging causes for more than 40 years. I drove a second generation Prius when I was living in Europe, and now that I have moved to the high desert of America I am driving a third generation Prius. My house has a w
hite roof, and all the light bulbs are compact fluorescents. I’ve even been central to one genuine success in the environmental movement - the Guadalupe Mountains National Park Wilderness area.But these poor countries are taking the wrong approach by demanding compensation from the more polluting countries. First off, long before these guys get up on their high horses and begin preaching to the big polluters these little tin pot banana republics need to stop cutting down their own rain forests, put an end to corruption, impose genuine environmental restrictions on their mining industry, and stop eating bush meat.
America, China, India, and the other big polluters are mostly just talking a good game, if that. There may even be many people in power in these countries who are sincere and concerned about the impending global environmental problems. But when it comes right down to it they aren’t about to reduce their carbon footprints significantly, if at all. They certainly aren’t going to accept restrictions imposed by anyone outside their countries. No way Jose’.
And as much as I wish it were otherwise, I don’t think the polluters will be willing to force their people to consume less energy if that also means their people having to undergo any meaningful reduction in the standard of living. Mankind has been successful by being competitive, and very often warlike and blatantly brutal. This aggression has now suddenly become a detriment to the future survival of our species.
I will stand shoulder to shoulder with Al Gore as we go down, but in my heart I know this is a lost cause.
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-
-
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