I recently spent a week on holiday with my B.Sc. Ph.D. scientist brother (prof. emeritus ANU) who asserts: :"We have the the technology and the know-how to fix all the worlds problems .. but we also know the politicians and bureaucrats will not do it" He and colleagues have designed a house energy star rating 8.7, water independent, electricity independent, extra building costs take only two years to recover. Polletitions, - not interested. Developers, - not interested.
. We must curb population growth, and as quickly as possible,. to do this requires a revamp of our economy as the current system demands "growth" leading to inflation, followed by bust (Tomorrow we must fell 10% more trees to cover the cost of the 100 we fell today)
Our planet has finite recourses , studies show we need another four planets like ours to lift just China and India to a western rates of consumption ( I have purposely omitted to use the term "standard of living")
http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/news/?uNewsID=148922?We are acting ecologically in the same way as financial institutions have been behaving economically - seeking immediate gratification without due regard for the consequences,? said ZSL co-editor Jonathan Loh. ?The consequences of a global ecological crisis are even graver than the current economic meltdown.?
?If humanity has the will, it has the ways to live within the means of the planet, but we must recognize that the ecological credit crunch will require even bolder action than that now being mustered for the financial crisis? Mr Leape said.
I say that to go on our merry unrestrained, unsustainable growth path is just madness .
Michael
