Genetically Programmed for Growth and Expansion
I reject extremists on all sides and also agree that potential climate change is only one symptom of the overshoot revealed by our eco-footprint work among other places. Unquestionably climate change has received a disproportionate amount of attention from governments and the media.
That said, I think you will agree that nothing governments have done, in Canada in particular, will have much effect on climate if it is changing. In this statement I include such things as the ethanol subsidy programs in the US and Canada that are really designed to satisfy corporate lobbyists in agribusiness and the chemical industries out to stuff their own wallets and which, by most accounts actually add to GHG emissions. This is the real distraction--wasting resources on non-solutions.
Incidentally, I read just this morning that Canadians logged a record number of miles driven in recent months, up over 3% from last year so it doesn't seem from observable behaviour that ordinary citizens are paying much heed to the climate change warnings.
Regrettably, neither they nor most other folks are paying much attention to any of the other symptoms of global overshoot either. As I have long argued, the universe continues to unfold according to genetic programming that creates subconscious urgings in all species, including humans, to expand to fill all accessible habitat to capacity and use up all available resources. H. sapiens is simply better at the game than any other species.
Dr. William Rees
July 23/09
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