One person writes “we’d all starve” if any attempt be made to transform our current world economic systems into a more co-operative resource based strategy. He or she brings up a good point.
In our current system one out of seven people on this planet are already starving, 19 million of them live in “developed” countries. They are starving not because there is not enough food, yet, but because of poverty. The principle causes of poverty are the unequal income distribution in the world and conflict. Essentially, the control over resources and income are based on military, political and economic powers that are controlled by a minority who live well, while those at the bottom barely survive, if at all.
Climate change triggering drought, flooding and unpredictable climatic patterns is also increasingly viewed as a current and future cause of hunger and poverty.
Acknowledging the fact that our current extraction processes and use of natural resources on this planet are not only unsustainable, but have a negative impact on our atmosphere, and is contributing to the erosion of the web of life that we are all dependent upon is not “tree hugging” nor is it a terrorist crime as Mr. Harper would have us believe. It is a growing, realistic point of view that we must change our ways. To achieve this the world must become more co-operative and less competitive and we must find and develop alternative, low impact forms of energy.
Some countries are already well on their way in achieving these goals and generally most people want to move in this direction.
Everybody wants to live well, have freedoms, and know our future generations inherit a healthy, co-operative planet, not one torn by greed, militant government, and neglectful environmental practices. If this is fantasy to you then that’s too bad for you. I more than realise the cold heartedness that drives our economies. I’m a part of it too and I admit I have no quick remedies or “stocks” to push as a solution.But like Dr. Suzuki, I do see models and systems developing that aren’t based in such a chilly reality and I will always see hope through education and do what I can to make this a better place for all living things.
PS. most newly discovered species are within the oceans, which technology now allows us to explore more thoroughly. This does not discount the fact that the world is losing many species daily through habit destruction, either induced by direct human activity or climate change.
Tom Eberhardt
Sooke
