Nightmares

[svetlana77]

the description says we need to reduce our consumption in the west-which is true-but China is emerging as the largest consumer of fossil fuels. not just gas but coal which is the worst of all. so much pollution they produce, that within 7 days it shows up on the Pacific coast polluting waterways and poisoning fish. so it's sad but even if the US was emission free, we would still need to worry about China and other developing countries. One World.

[svetlana77]

**Pacific coast of the US, to be clear.

[churchofpunk]

US citizens bitching about Chinese carbon emissions just smacks of racism.

The average US citizen produces 19.8 tonnes of CO2 per annum. The average Chinese citizen produces less than 1/4 of that over the same period.

Whilst Chinese emissions will have to be stabilised at some point, for Americans to complain about them at the moment suggests that they believe that they ought to be allowed to create many times more carbon emissions and waste per person than anyone else.

[svetlana77]

it's not the individual Chinese person I'm talking about, it's the industry/factories, etc. they have almost no regulations in china to monitor pollution. though they're starting now with the olympics coming. while the u.s. is bad too and probably fueling the need for more cheap sources of energy, my point is that not just one country can solve the problem of excessive pollution, we're all inter-related and we all have to make a concerted effort.

[svetlana77]

it's not racism. developing countries should have access to clean renewable fuels also. it would actually improve the conditions in those countries. coal-mining isn't safe and people should stop doing it. exploiting countries because of their oil reserves shouldn't be happening. the exploitation of resources by the few in power is what breeds conditions for poverty and political strife. all these things are inter-related.

[svetlana77]

i don't believe we should be able to create more carbon emissions. short of living in a cave, i personally am doing my best to reduce my carbon footprint.

[svetlana77]

when i say "we" i mean developed nations and the world in general.

[churchofpunk]

when you say that the world shouldn't produce more carbon emissions (or methane, or other anthropogenic behaviours which impact climate so as to promote global warming) i agree.

however unless you believe that as a citizen of the US you and your countrymen have the right to create many times more carbon than anyone else you have to effect a dramatic cut.

[churchofpunk]

it's not about the US only - the film was made and has mainly been shown in the UK, a country which also needs to drastically cut emissions, although our per capita carbon footprint is less than half that of the US (of course if you want to talk in absolute terms its comparatively tiny as we have 1/7th of the population)

[churchofpunk]

Blaming China, which has less than half the per capita emissions of the UK seems grossly unfair. Especially given the US's repeated attempts to sabotage international attempts to set binding carbon reduction targets. Once you've reduced your own per capita carbon footprint by 80% so that it's in line with the Chinese figure then you'll be in a position to talk. As your government wont sign up to any reduction, that clearly isn't the case.

[churchofpunk]

I don't think my government is doing nearly enough to combat climate change and they've signed up to a binding cut of 50% by 2050, and thats from a starting point of emitting more than 50% less!

While international emissions are interconnected, you can only effect Chinese emissions through your government setting an example and negotiating with other nations based on a willing to drastically curtail your country's current ecological behaviour

[ProphecyV]

Albert Einstein's believed that we must change our way of thinking if we want to survive in to the future...

This is an excellent video; everyone should see this...

[kardea71]

this really nails it...this is the nail in our coffin....what some of us see and understand so easily against having it all(that's no way to be living anyway) but people do it. Personally & sadly I think the idiots with the power and the money will win in the end and destroy us. But that shouldn't stop the rest of us from doing whatever we can to make them see make them understand