The threat is from those who accept climate change, not those who deny it
In the UK, The Guardian’s George Monbiot is saying The threat is from those who accept climate change, not those who deny it.
If the biosphere is ruined it will be done by people who know that emissions must be cut - but refuse to alter the way they live.
Almost everywhere, climate change denial now looks as stupid and as unacceptable as Holocaust denial. But I’m not celebrating yet. The danger is not that we will stop talking about climate change, or recognising that it presents an existential threat to humankind. The danger is that we will talk ourselves to kingdom come.
If the biosphere is wrecked, it will not be done by those who couldn’t give a damn about it, as they now belong to a diminishing minority. It will be destroyed by nice, well-meaning, cosmopolitan people who accept the case for cutting emissions, but who won’t change by one iota the way they live. I know people who profess to care deeply about global warming, but who would sooner drink Toilet Duck than get rid of their Agas, patio heaters and plasma TVs, all of which are staggeringly wasteful. A recent brochure published by the Co-operative Bank boasts that its “solar tower” in Manchester “will generate enough electricity every year to make 9 million cups of tea”. On the previous page it urges its customers “to live the dream and purchase that perfect holiday home … With low cost flights now available, jetting off to your home in the sun at the drop of a hat is far more achievable than you think.”
If you can’t or won’t change the way you live then at least you can buy carbon credits to offset your profligate lifestyles. Indeed even after turning off your appliances at the wall, swapping your car for a bike and getting the train rather than flying, you still cause emission of greenhouse gases. This is where carbon credits come in. Reduce naturally as much as you want to, then offset the rest. Anyone can neutralise their impact on the planet this way. — DS
Technorati Tags: alternative energy, carbon credits, climate change, CO2, emissions reduction, emissions trading, energy, environment, George Monbiot, global warming, Kyoto Protocol, offsets, politics, sustainability
