Global Warming All Over Your Ass

[dotinthesky]

When I lived in Canada, whenever a topic of conversation went serious - frakenstein food, globalization, destruction of the planet - some of my friends would interrupt by saying "oh, Amazon forest conversation." It was their way of saying the topic was another highly serious one which shouldn't/couldn't affect their lives; or that it was a cliche to talk about something so heavy, overly played out in the media. They would rather think about the latest fashion trend then the consequences of drinking coffee ground by exploited workers.

I wonder if the current bandwagon-jumping on global warming fears is a little too similar to the one two decades ago when people became worried about the Amazon forest disappearing. At the time, Sting went to Brasil and visited the natives in the forest; millions proclaimed that Brasil should stop destroying the world's lung; but then something else went on the front pages and the story slowly disappeared out of view. I would like to believe that the current warnings on global warming will change the world, but who can say how oh-so-predictably-crap-at-hearing-warnings human beings will react? Will the papers be interested in this story by next year?

My feelings tend to go from extreme negativity to positivity. This morning, looking at the weekend newspapers, I'd swear on the Bible that we were heading for deep shit. How could we not? We as a species refuse to memorize our history lessons. In doubt, read Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Many human civilizations have been destroyed before and it wouldn't be impossible for ours to go the same route. If you add up all the stories in the papers - collapsing fisheries, escalating civil wars, disappearing water resourses, etc - it's enough to make you wish Virgin would hurry up with their space flights so you could book yourself on the next one to the Moon. And the majority of news editors and journalists don't help matters by scarying the public with twisted stories on the government's upcoming green taxes.

But this evening, on my gym's treadmill, with The Kooks on the stereo, and all these different people sweating beside me, it became obvious that in some aspects we are no longer like our ancestors, and perhaps we won't commit the same errors they committed. Sure, there's a vast majority of people who don't give a crap and will continue leaving their lights on when they leave their home, but the percentage of people who are not like that is higher than ever before. In the past, civilizations collapsed sometimes due to factors beyond their control (e.g. enemies or viruses) but the vast majority of them suffered because they didn't understand how important their environment was to them. We are no longer like that.

That the shit is going to hit the fan is obvious. Rich countries are going to have to deal with masses of refugees in the future, and probably the rise of extreme right-wing politics as a consequence; but there will also be places where environmentalism will show definite improvements in people's lives, and this will in turn encourage other communities to follow suit. I have to believe things will turn out OK, otherwise I might as well not get out of bed.

Comments

[sor-eye-ah.livejournal.com]

That's the exact kind of thing I'm talking about. Howard is a fucking Grandpa and very, quote, behind the times. He seems to think that kissing the ass of the USA will do all kinds of good. Like most countries Australia has a choice of many leaders and they all suck, badly.

Sign the agreement you IDIOT! Then withdraw all trade and touristic agreements with the countries that won't. Gah. There are two things I've always wanted to do that idiot man.

1. Send him my brother for a couple of weeks.
2. Steal his job.

He's got no balls and doesn't represent Australians on ANY level. Most Aussies would gladly stand up, tell the USA we think they're a pathetic bunch of fuckwits and we don't want anything to do with their old fashioned, uneducated ideals. I mean - Australia may be little but we can scream damn loud if we need to.

Next step . . . Same sex marriages *wishful thinking*

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I was just thinking along the same terms, with relation to Brasil. When America started fingerprinting every Brasilian (and other international travellers) that went into their country, Brasil responded in kind by doing the same to every American tourist. We have just re-elected a socialist president (responsible for distancing ourselves from a lot of neocon crap in South America) and I hope he takes things further by placing Brasil directly opposite from America's stance on the environment.

[sor-eye-ah.livejournal.com]

I wish Australia would too. I wish we'd do a lot of things. We have the support, the resources, the money, the people to stand on our own. I see Australia as a bit of a teenager, unsure of itself and trying to get the rest of the gang to like her. So she'll do anything to fit in, instead of thinking for herself, listening to her people and saying 'no, we're doing things a different way'.

Fitting in creates little good. It makes you into a sheep. Aus isn't about sheep; it's about incredible, unique animals that have learnt to co-exist on this fragile continent. I look at what white settlement has done to this place and i feel so sick, and so over-run with guilt. It makes me happy to leave because sometimes I don't think I belong here (and I'm not alone in that.)

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I've met plenty of people from Australia and New Zealand, over here as well as in Canada, who feel the same. My reasons for leaving Brasil were similar, in the sense that I never felt I could be 100% happy as a gay man there, so I gave up on that culture for a society that is more liberal and supportive for Kevin & I.