Thursday, May 03, 2007
A Question of Survival and of Low Hanging Fruit
Dealing with climate change is a matter of survival, period. Economic growth is good, it makes the lives of our leaders easier because it allows them to avoid zero sum economics. But, ultimately climate change threatens the survival of our civilisation. This is what Jim Baird and Stephen Harper do not understand.
Furthermore their threats that it is environment or the economy is simply wrong. Canada is the most energy inefficient country in the world. We are wasteful compared to the other developed countries. This means we have not yet taken the easy steps towards a more efficient economy. Guess what happens when we do? We get a booming economy, because our productivity increases. That is what efficiency does. Especially when we can get good of the shelf technologies that can easily drop our energy consumption by 25%. We still haven't done the easy steps, we haven't picked the low hanging fruit.
We need to do this for our survival and we will benefit from doing it. Why then are our leaders trying to make us fear these necessary steps?
Nota Bene: Dave at the Galloping Beaver has taken a blast at Jim Baird. It is what inspired me to take a shot at them as well. Here is the money quote:
Furthermore their threats that it is environment or the economy is simply wrong. Canada is the most energy inefficient country in the world. We are wasteful compared to the other developed countries. This means we have not yet taken the easy steps towards a more efficient economy. Guess what happens when we do? We get a booming economy, because our productivity increases. That is what efficiency does. Especially when we can get good of the shelf technologies that can easily drop our energy consumption by 25%. We still haven't done the easy steps, we haven't picked the low hanging fruit.
We need to do this for our survival and we will benefit from doing it. Why then are our leaders trying to make us fear these necessary steps?
Nota Bene: Dave at the Galloping Beaver has taken a blast at Jim Baird. It is what inspired me to take a shot at them as well. Here is the money quote:
I do not care about recessions and economic loss. We have survived them in the past. If you happen to find you cannot adapt our growth based economic system or your political ideology to climate change, FIND A NEW FUCKING SYSTEM [hint: there are many experts in alternative systems that can help you; academia is full of people who study these things]. I do not care if this means I can no longer drive a car. I do not care if this means I must plant crops on my lawn, or give up single malt Scotch (well, that’ll hurt a bit, but given a choice, I’d go with, you know, life), or move across the country, or pay more taxes, or take the train, or whatever. Sacrifices are necessary.
