I don’t know about climate change, there are so many conflicting views on what’s really going on. I think its hard to get an honest unbiased view from anyone. The world has always had doom-sayers, some of the scientist are our modern day ‘end-of-the-world’ types. I’m all for erring on the side of caution. After 10 years of drought, hotter summers and winters it would seem to my untrained eye that something is slightly out of kilter. Whether or not its part of the natural order of things, or a result of human activities doesn’t really matter. At the moment, it seems that something has changed and its best that we watch it.
There’s lots of talk about carbon emissions and reducing them. We all need to do this, apparently. I’m encouraged to change my light bulbs, turn the air conditioner off, don’t drive if I can walk and so on. Manufacturers are asked to reduce the amount of carbon they put into the atmosphere.
Where is the request for us to stop consuming?
Government and business don’t want us to stop buying. We expect that they find more efficient and less polluting ways to produce the goods that we buy, but on no account should anyone suggest that we just stop making some stuff.
Walk into any ‘bargain’ shop to see the shelves jammed packed full of cheap imports, mostly made of plastic, that really are just useless. You can see the same crap on the shelves of any major retailer, perhaps a little bit more up market.
I like to have ‘nice’ things, just like you. Sometimes, however, I just have things because I can.
The real problem is that I keep consuming like nothing else matters. I’m trying to stop that now. I ask you to do the same – ignore the advertising, ignore what the neighbours have. Ask yourself do I really need this object?
The world depends on it.