Are We Concerned?
If indeed the world is concerned about global warming, and from search trends on the internet (at least) this appears to be increasingly true with each passing day, then perhaps there is hope. What is incomprehensible to me is the short-sightedness of those responsible for most of the environmental damage occurring at present.
Today, I heard parts of an economic address by a representative of one of the major contributors to this problem. I was presented with an appeal to remove barriers to the production or continued production of cheap energy without regard for the negative effects to which the world and its inhabitants would be subjected. In today's climate, this didn't make much sense to me, especially when coming from a spokesperson of a (supposedly) progressive nation. To be positive, at least this stimulated the thought process required to write this article.
Personal Transportation and Travel
I am just one person with a limited understanding of all of the influences both economic and political that are felt by this speaker. However, average man (read man or woman) needs to be heard. Are we willing to let our children's and grandchildren's world be destroyed for the sake of cheaper fuel for our gas-guzzling vehicles today? In the area in which I live in Canada, each day I see more and more fuel-efficient vehicles on the roads (now a great majority). It seems like a good thing in a country where rural living requires some sort of transportation to be able to survive. However, that doesn't mean that every waking moment must be behind the wheel of your new fuel-efficient vehicle. I will soon have to replace my aging gas-guzzler with a fuel-sipper, and the few times a month that I use it will likely increase somewhat when it doesn't cost as much to run. We should all remember that the benefits of higher fuel efficiency are felt most only if one doesn't increase the distance travelled, thereby reducing or eliminating the benefit both personally (financial cost) and globally (emissions).
For those of us that have been priveleged enough to use our own vehicles for many years, we should think it reasonable to reduce in order to help lower harmful emissions. But how do we feel about those that are only now gaining the option to drive a vehicle (i.e., India, China, etc.)? How can we deny others that which we have had for many years? How do we help develop a society where travel is reduced when the more increasingly affluent individuals and nations are expanding their horizons, and their energy consumption?
Mass Production - the Advantages and the Pitfalls
In a modern mass-production society, cost and efficiency track closely. The more efficient a process is, the more economical it is. This is logical. Through carefully controlled and monitored mass production, processes can be fine-tuned to produce the greatest profit margin possible. Inevitibly, this means the least amount of energy has been expended overall to create the product - a good thing. Unfortunately, this benefits some much more than others.
If one removed the advantages of mass-production, many more workers would be required (bonus of lower unemployment), consistent quality would be reduced (although there may be higher quality work done as well) and the overall cost would most likely be much higher (perhaps driving the product cost beyond the reach of lower-income earners). I am not sure how we can improve on the present situation beyond some type of regulation of what gets produced in the first place. There is obviously much manufacturing that produces "throw-away" items. I know that I have succumbed to buying some of these items with the hope that they will last longer or be useful for longer than their design life. Mostly, these were mistakes. To support a company that produces "junk" or "garbage" that is marketed in such a way as to convince you of it's usefuleness is almost criminal, and is definitely false economy.
Consumption
Consumers that have enough income to shop whimsically, must develop skills in determining exactly what their requirements are when they are "shopping". They must be intelligent enough to see that even though the new "widget" seems great and is only a dollar or two (relatively speaking), it is not really required, or it's purpose can be accomplished in some other way. It may now require the buyer to spend more of his leisure time and money using and maintaining something that he didn't even know he needed. Disposing of this unnecessary item is becoming even more of a problem as we never dispose of anything anymore, we just move it to somewhere out of sight.
Some of Us Already Know
