Comments on: We need to reduce our footprint (UBC Prof. William Rees

By: rockchasman

rockchasman — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:31:59 +0000

I believe it is …
I believe it is because our economic models (developed at the beginning of the industrial era) assume infinite resources and no cost of pollution, etc. We know this to be false, and so the true costs of growth are not captured, only the short-term “benefits”. If we can change our models to more accurately reflect the true state of the dis-equilibrium that Rees et al suggests, the picture will be starker, and will hopefully move politicians, businesses, and people to change.

By: nikitycent

nikitycent — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:31:59 +0000

Interesting point. …
Interesting point. Is this because leaders of business/government are actively disguising efficiency growth as environmental progress or is it some unconscious function of the economy? I guess it doesnt matter, either way how can we motivate away from this policy-wise?

I do sort of disagree with that bit about Chinese laptops at the end

By: oneearthweb

oneearthweb — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:31:59 +0000

Thanks for posting …
Thanks for posting this Dr. Rees video. I hope people pay close attention to the messages of brilliant minds like Rees, because we don’t have a lot of time left to act. It seems, though, that we as a species, despite millions of years of evolution, are a lot more interested in the latest Paris Hilton sex scandal than in our own destiny.