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Hi Jim & All, =
Mar 2, 2016
Quoting Jim "what can/should be done about this anthropogenic =
problem."
A) About 1950, long before global warming surfaced, I concluded that =
rampant consumerism, mechanization and the massive highway system which =
would be needed to serve the dream of a car (or several vehicles) in =
every driveway would quickly shred the environment and generate =
unemployment.=20
In the mid 50's a common joke was "If all the economists in the =
world were laid end to end they would still all point in different =
directions".=20
Now one would have to restate that to "If all the economists in the =
world were laid end to end they would still all point in the wrong =
direction" and it is no longer amusing.=20
When global warming came along in the late 60's it seemed obvious =
that combating global warming was desirable, even if it turned out to be =
a fiction, because actions to combat global warming, reduced consumption =
of fossil fuels, would also help to at least reduce the destructive =
effects of the above slow motion train wreck (A)..
At about that time I somewhere ran into an interesting article"Toward a =
New Economics: Questioning Growth" by Herman E. Daly, pp. 47-52 in ?; =
tore it out and saved it. This was an excerpt from a book The Patient =
Earth to be published in 1971 (which I never read).=20
But it is still taken as gospel that GNP must increase each year or =
else and after interest rates have barely exceeded inflation for 5 years =
our head bankers imagine that lowering rates, perhaps into negative =
territory, will stimulate the economy by increasing consumption while, =
heaven forbid, not luring people into increasing their debt load And =
of course, at the same time, expressing the hope that people will also =
continue to save for the rainy day or old age whichever comes first.=20
Or, in fewer words, if our financial leaders had a clue then the =
rattle would drive them crazy.
=20
Industry has found ways to force consumerism; shoddy goods. Our =
first toaster, 1960 vintage, lasted 40 years; by taking it apart, =
turning a screw here, bending a rod there, repairing a broken filament =
with a loop of wire... Our second toaster lasted one week, our third =
about one month and the fourth is still going after 15 years. None of =
the last three toasters can be taken apart so when something goes the =
unit also is toast.
=20
I doubt that governments can assume leadership in global warming any =
more than they have been able to come to grips with the folly of =
perpetual growth. And, in any case, the two are just different sides of =
the same cloth.
It is up to individuals to reduce their direct or indirect =
consumption of fossil fuels. If enough make this choice then politicians =
may get onside.
For those who have the patience to lobby for change, a huge =
reduction in motor vehicle traffic, highway construction, highway =
repair... could be launched by a few strokes of a pen in government =
hands. With Motor Vehicle Insurance and Registration as high as it is =
and gasoline as cheap as it is there is little incentive to drive less.=20
If Insurance and Registration were both proportional to distance =
driven then there would be real incentive for the public to demand and =
use effective public transit; less demand for wider highways, less =
traffic and fewer accidents. All held back in an effort to keep that =
perpetual growth flywheel turning ever faster.=20
=20
End of rant.
DW
=20
=20
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Jim Wolford=20
To: naturens=20
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 8:03 PM
Subject: [NatureNS] Leap Day, Leap Manifesto, global warming, Academy =
Awards
Begin forwarded message:
From: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
Subject: Leap Day, Leap Manifesto, global warming, Academy Awards
Date: March 1, 2016 at 6:38:35 PM AST
To: Nature BNS <nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca>
Cc: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
FEB. 29, 2016 - LEAP DAY! Makes me think of the Leap Manifesto =
movement, ala Naomi Klein=92s book and the similarly titled documentary =
filmed by Avi Lewis, =93This Changes Everything=94, concerning global =
climate change and its repercussions and what can/should be done about =
this anthropogenic problem. =20
I=92m glad I was up late watching the end of the Academy Awards on =
Sunday (yesterday). Leonardo DiCaprio won best actor for =93The =
Revenant=94, and his short acceptance speech ended with some very =
well-chosen words about climate change and the need for humanity to come =
to its senses finally and so something about it. He finished with =
something like, =93I don=92t take our planet for granted, and I don=92t =
take this award for granted.=94
If anyone knows how to get DiCaprio=92s actual words on climate =
change, I would like to see them again.
Perhaps fittingly, today was abnormally very warm, albeit with very =
strong winds. Apparently Greenwood, King=92s County, Nova Scotia, was =
the warmest spot in Canada at 17.6 degrees C.
Cheers from Jim, in Wolfville.
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03/01/16
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