Brian and others, President Clinton's statement is not as hopeful as you might suspect, based on some seriously shoddy reporting that appears to have begun from a blog by Jake Tapper of ABC News. Clinton's quote has been taken out of context in the report you mention and in other sources. As a tribute to one of my favorite blogs (Sadly, No!), go here <http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/8637.html> (http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/8637.html) for a more complete version of the quote.
Chris [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >We are witnessing in the popular press an awakening to the fundamental >conflict between economic growth and the various aspects of environmental >protection. See for example the following news clips, all from the past 3 >days. The first highlights Neil Dawe (Canadian Director, Center for the >Advancement of the Steady State Economy), whose focus is on the trade-off >between economic growth and wildlife conservation. The second is by George >Monbiot, the leading sustainability journalist, who discusses the merits of >focusing on economic growth relative to population growth for environmental >protection. The third is about Bill Clinton's observation on addressing >climate change by slowing the economy. > >http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_central/parksville_qualicumbeachnews/news/14611517.html > >http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2008/01/29/population-bombs/ > >http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009892226 > >No doubt the efforts of The Wildlife Society, the American Society of >Mammalogists, the Society for Conservation Biology's North America Section, >and other professional societies that have taken positions on economic growth >are the type of efforts that have contributed to this awakening. Other >professional societies such as the ESA, AFS, SRM and SCB-at-large now have the >opportunity to reinforce and elaborate the message in terms more specific to >the various aspects of environmental protection. > >Clinton's observation is most interesting from a political and paradigmatic >standpoint. He has finally acknowledged a truth even more inconvenient than >climate change, after stating during his presidency that there is no conflict >between growing the economy and protecting the environment. Not that he is >advocated a steady state economy yet, but yesterday he took the first major >step in that direction. This should provide us with hope that politicians >will muster the integrity to acknowledge mistakes regarding the relationship >of economic growth to environmental protection, when clarifying evidence is >advanced by professional societies and the conservation community. > > >Brian Czech, Ph.D., President >Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy >SIGN THE POSITION on economic growth at: >http://www.steadystate.org/CASSEPositionOnEG.html > ********************************************* Chris Brown, PhD Associate Professor Department of Biology Box 5063 Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN 38505 phone: (931) 372-6258 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] website: iweb.tntech.edu/cabrown <http://iweb.tntech.edu/cabrown>
