I have to admit, I am extremely pessimistic that everyone in the world can not achieve an American middle class sustainable existence without significant resource depletion. I know there are those nutty optimists out there who think you can just plug everyone's car in, put solar panels on skyscrapers and be done with it.
Be it my negative nature, but I just don't see it working. Western societies are currently labeled "success stories". But they are where they are by being resource hogs. Face it, by global standards, Americans have large houses, use tons of water, drive too much, fill their homes with disposable wooden furniture and then blast the AC. You can't just reverse this type of lifestyle. Nor can you convince the MILLIONS and MILLIONS of citizens of the developing world that this is no good.
Are we going to tell the Chinese they can't heat their homes, drive cars? India can't build lavish subdivisions? That a sound economy isn't based on BUILDING MORE and more and more....."
In Alaska, everyone screams bloody murder if their right to "develop" land is somehow infringed. Majority of folks want to plow down the trees and place a "beautiful" huge house there instead. Needless to say, then the bears wander around the new suburbs, freak everyone out, then get shot.
There just isn't enough room on this earth for the animals, trees and people. Of course, so many people say---so what? I don't need no polar bear, I got Vegas and a Ford Taurus.
I don't even know how to articulate that I need those wild places and animals, not even to see them--just to know they are there...
The most I can hope for is to be proved wrong!
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