I wrote last week about a naughty society and mentioned some of our failings. One response asked what can do about what we have done. The person was so tired of listening to the environmental criticisms. I have always believed when there is an on going problem we can change and if we don’t ….change will be made for us.
The truth is we have polluted lakes, rivers, streams, oceans, forests, and the air. We disguised the word greed, calling our transgressions progress. The words oil is a trigger for all things bad. No I am not against oil. We are going to need it for fifty years or more because the world is addicted to it. We do have to use it more wisely however. This in itself will cause social upheaval. Some wanted ideas of what could be done. Well, cleaning up a mess does not usually allow for a lot of popular options. Here are a few to explore. Before rejecting them out of hand ask why? Remember when looking for collective answers self interest can’t be part of the equation.
Lets start with gasoline. Instead of charging by the cost of the product itself. What if we charged by miles driven and the carbon released per vehicle? The same for other things produced. Instead of a green fee charge the real carbon cost per unit of the product. Manufactures would find alternate raw materials.
One of the most significant changes would be part of future trade deals. That would be to make manufactures responsible for accepting and recycling packaging products come in. These changes would be phased in.
Let us take a moment to address the social inequities we have created. Free trade deals should not come with a race to the bottom environmentally or in working conditions. We in the western world prohibited child labor more than a century ago.
Therefore in trade negotiations we should address that. There is no reason someone else s child should be forced to work long hours for little pay so you and I can have cheap running shoes etc. Pay, hours of work and safety conditions must become global issues.
At home there needs to be change. Here is one example. We have part time as a norm. The hours are restricted so employers don’t have to pay benefits. We need to change that.
Everything from pride to loyalty depends on how employees are treated. There are any number of changes to be made and it will take time. The positive in all this is that we can begin to implement change as part of a new normal. Failure to do so will mean future generations will pay for our failure to adapt to a more equitable global society.
Fred Steele
Fred Steele says
No not running for office. I have the feeling people are rethinking thei buying habits. And yes the of oil will bring serious challenges
pat whalley says
Fred, if you are running for election, you have my vote. Phyllis is right, money is not the root of all evil, many good things can be done with money. The Bible says the love of money (greed) is the problem.
Greed leads to power grabbing at any odds, if you have money you have power, with power comes influence and you can use that in some very bad ways. You can eventually become a dictator, which appears to be happening to a country very close to us.
Greedy people are quite happy to achieve their aims by climbing on the backs of the less powerful, if standing on their faces or kneeling on their necks is necessary, then so be it.
Surely these past months have been a lessen in how the Earth reacts when she is abused to the point of exhaustion. Mother Nature is fighting back at our greed and neglect by using her power to tell us it is time to stop the greed, the pollution and the abuse of the Earth, in the only way she can, by reducing the population. We need to listen to the warning.
Scott Miller says
Not only are we going to have to ween ourselves off of oil but everything that it makes. That means gasoline and diesel, plastics and carbon fibers. That eliminates most of the cheap consumer items we seem to be addicted too. Stop buying cheap crap from China and other overseas manufacturers and start buying more things made here in Canada and I would support this. But as long as we continue our consumer habits we are going to need the Canadian oil industry.
Ed Machial says
Money is merely a vessel to obtaining power. Power is where the real evil lies!
Ron Becker says
Good article Fred. My grandma used to tell me that money(greed) is the root of all evil as she read her bible daily. Wise words( my opinion). Seems like at the present it is so true and you nailed it.
Dennis Frewin says
Finally we are coming up with creative measures for the corner we are in. We have to get past the notion that our efforts have to result in the vast accumulation of wealth. What is wrong with just making a living. The west has built a standard of living that is not sustainable on the backs of the less fortunate and that has to stop. Good article, can only hope it gains legs.
Phyllis Whitten says
Have grandma read the Bible again. It does not say that money is the root of of all evil. 1 Timothy 6:10 says that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. One of the most misquoted verses in the Bible.