Fucking up Alaska

[Wombat Seedcake]

So, the corporate stooge Bush and his corrupt White House cronies plus their unprincipled and greedy friends in the timber lobby are going to hack down more large swathes of the Tongass forest in Alaska. I guess supporting the garden furniture industry is more important. So, what is the US public doing about it?

[catesta]

:rolleyes:

[Saundra Hummer]

Originally posted by catesta
:rolleyes:


You've got that right!

[Andy D]

The US accounts for about 5% of the world's population, and yet produces around 25% of the world's polution. Some people suggest that we can ignore the political asperations of the US, the environmental threat posed by the US is a far greater threat to the world.

The US Government has just about the worst policies on environmental issues, save perhaps for China which is now importing rice to feed it's population, as it attempts to industrialize and compete with the US.

Regards

Andy D.

[Saundra Hummer]

Speaking of pollution, what has been accomplished with the disaster that was Romania? Have they been able to clean up the Rhine and or any of the other rivers (?) that were so terribly polluted by their backward industries? No controls on anything, as they were so poor, and were being used, they say, to produce items that did polute more than others because Russia wanted the pollution away from their country? This and the fact that it was so much cheaper to have done there. True?

I know that they warn about swimming in the waters off of Santa Monica due to pollution, and there really aren't factorys dumping there, it is sewage treatment plants, and just runoff from rain, etc.

It is a pity that it has come to this. I love this area, and it is a pity to have this happen, there is a tremendous amount of marine and other wild life in this area, and for the people and wild life to be endangeredend by swimming in the ocean from Santa Barbara to Palos Verdes, and beyond, is really a tragedy, and I can't believe that people are getting rashes and other problems from swiming there.

We are just so over populated, and we manufacture so many things that there is dangerous offal from, and now they have new studies about mercury in fish, and these studies are really disturbing; once more a mercury threat, and one of the problems is the use of coal to fuel energy companies installations. Bush pushed for that, remember? He was saying how safe it is, and how it will create jobs. So, which of his croanies owns the coal or the energy installations? God, are we ever cynical here! Or at least I am. Pollution, as long as we need oil, and any other number of necessities we are gong to have terrible polution.

[Andy D]

Romania, Russia, Bulgaria etc etc the list of countries that have been 'polluted' and create the pollutuion is increasing. The two biggest, China and the US, for different reasons create much of the worlds pollution.

The US, China etc continue to ignore the threat of an environmental disaster, and ignore all the predictions of the effects of global warming.

Regards

Andy D.

[Grub]

Apart from a handful of North European countries - Netherlands, Sweden and Germany - pretty much no other government throughout the rest of the world is doing anything of note to try to prevent environmental catastrophe. They all suck.

[Andy D]

Anything that these countries try and do re-pollution seems to have little effect on global warming, as long at the bigger countries continue to ignore environmental issues. Sweden, Finland etc suffer the effects of pollution from Russia, such as acid rain.

What is needed is gobal action, the US refused to do anything about this, in favour of it's own economic interests. Many of the 'poorer' countries have little choice but to burn fossil fuel, and have few pollution controls as they try and pay off the debts to the richer countries.

Regards

Andy D.

[Andy D]

There are many people who feel that the next 'world conflict' will be based/caused by environmental issues, rather than political issues/geo-economic issues. For example both Syria and Israel have a long standing dispute over water rights.

As the US Government continues to 'select' the information it respects and values on global warming/pollution/environmental issues etc, the world heats up, the migrants move towards the richer countries and animal life dies!

Regards

Andy D.

[Saundra Hummer]

Water will be the cause of the most conflict. A non renewable resource.

Oil can be replaced, but water?

[Andy D]

Water will indeed create some difficulties and conflict, there is a long standing dispute between Syria and Isreal and as one part of the world dries up, there will be an increased tendency for migration with all is potential effects. This situation is made worse by the fact that the industrial countries, lead by the US continue to use up so much of the world's natural resources on itself.

For example ordinary 'dish washers' use up gallons of water each time they are used, and this is just one example of how limited resources are being abused.

Regards

Andy D.

[Andy D]

The US is by far the biggest abuser of the environment and yet the US Government seems to have little interest in what happens to the 'world environment'. I guess there are too many rich people making too much money, for them to concern themselves with what the consequences are around the rest of the world.

As those of you in the US that drive your cars to work in the morning and admire the open freeways, try and imagine what it is like in other parts of the world. For instance try and imagine the consequences of the destruction of the World's Rain Forrest, and the rise is sea levels brought about by the mealting of the Ice Caps. Try and imagine the consequences of the Mexicans, the Brazilians and the many other people of many nations, that have to destroy their natural habitats to pay you and me the debts that they owe.

And while this is going on what do we do?

Well we can enjoy the use of our dish washers, that use so many gallons of water, we can play our 'corporate' golf matches, that takes natural habitat and turns it into the 'playgrounds' of the worried well, and we can delude ourselves that what happens in Alaska has nothing to do with the 'air conditioned' life we live in LA.

But you know the world we live in is very small, and what happens in your part of the world, will one day happen in my part of the world.

Regards

Andy D.