South Bruce Peninsular - A million things not to do! - Comments

do it yourself

mxyzptlk — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:05:39 -0400

hey garym, i'm right with you on the do it yourself plan. i guess what i was really trying to say is that i do not believe that there is enough collective global will to reverse the environmental damage already inflicted on our planet.
kltpzyxm

Who cares, let's eat.

garym — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:42:17 -0400

Whether we can get the developing nations on board is largely irrelevant, because they will short-circuit to the same conclusions as we do the same way Brazil did the short-circuit to air-cargo without wasting time and money on rail service. More pertinent to our own turf, I don't think we can get Ontario Industry on board either but there again, the question is irrelevant because industry simply mirrors the society by providing what it believes that society wants to purchase.

So it still comes down to you an me, and more to the 'me' than to you ;) -- because I can control what I do, that's part of it, but let's face it, part of it is also wrapped up in the Great Doubt over just what it is that we should be doing! Bottled water? 4 out of 5 bottles end up in landfill and the bottles are trucked from as far as France, but is it necessarily bad? Macdonalds food -- they do use our impulse fat-carb-crave money for a huge array of charitable causes and offer young people employment, two things that our governments no longer do! So what is bad?

What is 'bad'? We don't actually know, but we do know that the path to knowing is an active path, so I take these steps, you take those steps, and if my steps bring me some ecological advantage, chances are fair to certain you'll be watching from the sidelines and want to know why, and maybe also be watching out for the nastly little oversight in my plan that lets you learn from my mistake.

In information theory we call this the Genetic Algorithm: What works continues to work, what doesn't, doesn't. Are Gore et al right? Do we just accept Stuart Jordan because he has an enviable job, or do we side with the 17,000 scientists who debunk him? Will Live Earth raise enough cash to compensate for all those pop-star jet-flights and the fan trash-wake (and all those water bottles!) and still have enough left after 'expenses' to make a difference? Time will tell.

Time will tell, but as Andy Warhol noted,

"They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever

don't think so

mxyzptlk — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:57:05 -0400

Will people be prepared to make the necessary life style changes and pay a price in real economic terms to start reversing the environmental damage already inflicted on our planet?

no, i don't think they are. we might be able to convince north america (although i highly doubt it - we can't even get everone to recycle) but i seriously doubt our ability to convince china, india, pakistan, russia, etc. they have done without while north america consumed more than its fair share (imo) ... now they want what we have enjoyed for the last 100 years or so.

klypzyxm

A million things not to do!

skyhawk — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:24:21 -0400

I am pleased that there is now a growing awarness and recognition in Canada and around the world that our globe is in the midst of an environmental crisis.
Scientists have been trying to get the politician's and our attention for years.Finally their message seems to be sinking in. While I believe that some of the projected doomsday scenerios are overdone, the fact remains that people around the world will need to start changing the way they live and consume. There is no doubt, that this will be a very difficult challenge, considering the potential negative effects on our industrialized economies.Will people be prepared to make the necessary life style changes and pay a price in real economic terms to start reversing the environmental damage already inflicted on our planet?