permaculture

["Charles de Matas" <cdematas@hotmail.com>]

I fully agree with Tom's comments.  The more basic problem is our continuing 
growth in population, mineral extraction, economy etc.  Even the increased 
severity of natural disasters which we blame on climate change, has a large 
part to do with increased human population, and human settlement in 
inappropriate areas; wetlands, floodplains of rivers, unstable slopes etc.  
We desperately need to contain human consumption and population, but few 
people, especially not the politicians are talking about this.

Charles.



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In many ways "global warming" and whatever its causes, possible
solutions, etc. etc. is beside the point.  Whether global warming is
happening or not, the broader (and related) issues of finite resource
depletion and a population growth that has overshot the renewable
carrying capacity of what is a limited system (the planet, that is)
are to my mind far more important to have people fundamentally
understand.  Global warming is already being used as a marketing
'opportunity,' and though more and more people are becoming aware and
accepting of it's reality, it is being understood as something we
will solve through some sort of 'technology' and by simply altering
our consumer choices to 'greener' ones.  Without understanding the
mathematics of growth and a system of limited resources there won't
be acceptance of the unavoidable conclusion that the solution to our
problems is "less."  Less consumption, less economic activity, less
people, less travel, etc.  Even if global warming wasn't an issue at
all we'd still be coming up against all the same fundamental problems
of overpopulation, environmental poisoning, resource depletion.
Personally I don't see how the tools of our current global system of
activity and interaction are possibly going to even attempt to solve
the problems we face when the very 'toolbox' is built of the
impossible notion of perpetual growth.

All of which is a windy way of saying global warming is a symptom,
not the disease.

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