The hidden environmentalist's agenda
I posted this as a comment to divalion's post on What is Poverty. Thought I would share it here also. (Feeling cranky today.)
One of the reasons Al Gore didn't get elected, and why the Democrats don't exploit environmental issues when campaigning is because of a fairly widely accepted truth of the collected wisdom on how to save the planet:
Earth does not have the resources to support 6 billion people in the living standard of the "First world" American/european lifestyle. The only thing that is going to save our planet is for our lifestyle to degrade to a more sustainable level like those living in the self-supporting communities discussed in the article and other's comments.
Al Gore tried to explain this to the American public, and they were not ready to listen. This is a very unpalatable idea to capitalists that depend on constant growth and consumerism. But the downward mobility has already started (fewer people able to afford houses, fewer pensions, less job stability, etc.) Learning from Al Gore's defeat, the liberal environmentalists who know the truth are being cowardly and trying to advance the needed agenda by cloaking it in "simple living", which is better than nothing, but ultimately a disservice to the truth.
Everyone needs to go towards the middle: the hungry poor should be provided with access to the education and means to help themselves, and the rich need to become poorer and satisfied with less. There is too much energy and natural resources being wasted on useless luxury items.
Personally, I try to think globally, act locally. Support local industry and retailers. Resist the urge to buy new pretty shiny things. I work at a job that pays less than I could make elsewhere because here I can help the environmental movement. Do what you can.
Yeah its hard. Its going to get messy and its going to be ugly. Its times like this I am glad the majority of my life is over and I do not have children to worry about. Hope my next reincarnation is on another planet, because this one is going down the tubes unless governments and politicians find the backbone to speak the truth about what is needed. And we saw what happened at the G8 with global warming...::sigh::
One of the reasons Al Gore didn't get elected, and why the Democrats don't exploit environmental issues when campaigning is because of a fairly widely accepted truth of the collected wisdom on how to save the planet:
Earth does not have the resources to support 6 billion people in the living standard of the "First world" American/european lifestyle. The only thing that is going to save our planet is for our lifestyle to degrade to a more sustainable level like those living in the self-supporting communities discussed in the article and other's comments.
Al Gore tried to explain this to the American public, and they were not ready to listen. This is a very unpalatable idea to capitalists that depend on constant growth and consumerism. But the downward mobility has already started (fewer people able to afford houses, fewer pensions, less job stability, etc.) Learning from Al Gore's defeat, the liberal environmentalists who know the truth are being cowardly and trying to advance the needed agenda by cloaking it in "simple living", which is better than nothing, but ultimately a disservice to the truth.
Everyone needs to go towards the middle: the hungry poor should be provided with access to the education and means to help themselves, and the rich need to become poorer and satisfied with less. There is too much energy and natural resources being wasted on useless luxury items.
Personally, I try to think globally, act locally. Support local industry and retailers. Resist the urge to buy new pretty shiny things. I work at a job that pays less than I could make elsewhere because here I can help the environmental movement. Do what you can.
Yeah its hard. Its going to get messy and its going to be ugly. Its times like this I am glad the majority of my life is over and I do not have children to worry about. Hope my next reincarnation is on another planet, because this one is going down the tubes unless governments and politicians find the backbone to speak the truth about what is needed. And we saw what happened at the G8 with global warming...::sigh::