--------Forwarded from Neil Dawe of Qualicum Institute--------- Brian,
Have a look at this editorial in the Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/197990 They hit the root cause ... bullseye! But then they wander off to the usual technological fix. Below is a letter I've just sent but it would be good if the "technological solution" aspect was addressed by someone as well. If you have some free time (heh, heh) ... Neil _________________________________ Editor, Your recent editorial (Roots of climate change, 31 March) recognizes that since 1990, for every $1 billion increase in our gross domestic product, greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 14 per cent due to improved energy efficiencies. Over the same period, our greenhouse gas emissions rose by 27 per cent. What caused this discrepancy? Apparently, economic growth outpaced our rate of improvement in energy efficiencies. Your conclusion: we must make clean energy production a top priority. Whatever happened to tackling the root cause of the problemeconomic growth? Almost exactly a year ago, British MPs, members of an All-Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group, came to similar findings. Although government policies in Britain were lowering carbon emissions, more industrial plants resulting from economic growth were swamping the reductions. The MPs recognized the cause and called for the abandonment of the business-as-usual pursuit of economic growth. Economic growth, a perennial, insidious goal at all levels of government, is an increase in the production and consumption of goods and services. Increasing population and increasing per-capita consumption facilitate it. Economic growth is also an increase in throughput, or flow of natural resources, through the economy and back to the environment. Seems an odd goal for a supposedly intelligent species that lives on a finite planet with finite resources. Will we ever solve our environmental problems? Not by focusing only on symptoms, such as climate change. We need to address the root causeeconomic growthby moving to a steady state economy, an economy that's in balance with the regenerative and assimilative capacity of the biosphere. Yours truly, Neil K. Dawe 438 Temple Street, Parksville, BC V9P 1A3 Note: As the letter stands, it is 260 words long. If length is the deciding factor, the paragraph starting Almost exactly a year ago can be omitted leaving it at 204 words. -------------------------- Brian Czech, Ph.D., President Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy SIGN THE POSITION on economic growth at: www.steadystate.org/PositiononEG.html . EMAIL RESPONSE PROBLEMS? Use [EMAIL PROTECTED]
