More is the be-all and end-all of existence; there will be no effective steps taken to alleviate human impact on climate.
"Cloth bags instead of plastic, lights out for one hour... What else can be done to help cool down global temperatures?...", writes the Bangkok Post. Now, there are a lot of things that can be done to reduce the impact of human activity on the environment, but turning off a few lights for a miniscule (0.0115% of the time) part of the year is definitely not one of them. Not turning the lights on in the first place would be somewhat better. However, considering that almost all lighting is intended not to aid people in finding their way in the dark, but rather is intended to showcase products for sale, it's just not in the cards that marketers will consider giving up their profits, nor consumers their shopping opportunities.
The latest dog-and-pony show for the display of concern for the environment is now going on in Bangkok. Those who have and those who wish to have are arguing about fake alternatives in means and methods of dealing with the disaster (always set for Sometime In The Future) that is the looming Climate Change train wreck. A prominent proposal, favored not only by the have-not nations, but by the have-nations who still have forested land, is for other governments to pay them an allowance (read: bribe) for continuing to have forests. Reading between the lines, it appears that the idea is actually to give more to those who cut down the trees and then plant new trees. Somehow, each time the "forest" is replanted, plantation-like, it aids in Greenhouse Effect mitigation. It doesn't, actually, but remember, we're working on symbol here, never substance. As part of the consumerist-capitalist combines effort to obfuscate and confuse, consider that the very real difference between reduction and reduction of rate of increase is no longer discernable in media news reporting. Too many examples to list here. I leave it as an Exercise For The Student to find such examples. Hint: Consider the IATA report headlined "US slump takes toll on passenger traffic". In which it sounds as if there are fewer people flying; reading further, we find that the "fewer flyers" in fact means that the increase in passenger traffic is only 4% or 5%, rather than the 7.4% the airlines hoped for. Indeed; a reduction of some 35%(!) (of the year-on-year increase in traffic).
As an aside; it's becoming pretty clear, I think, that the real interest in educating children today is to make sure they remain innumerate, just as their parents appear to be. Only this way can such obvious examples of the old saying "Figures don't lie; but liars figure" continue to appear to have the necessary Quality Of Truthiness. (Thank you Stephen Colbert)
"Cloth bags instead of plastic, lights out for one hour... What else can be done to help cool down global temperatures?...", writes the Bangkok Post. Now, there are a lot of things that can be done to reduce the impact of human activity on the environment, but turning off a few lights for a miniscule (0.0115% of the time) part of the year is definitely not one of them. Not turning the lights on in the first place would be somewhat better. However, considering that almost all lighting is intended not to aid people in finding their way in the dark, but rather is intended to showcase products for sale, it's just not in the cards that marketers will consider giving up their profits, nor consumers their shopping opportunities.
The latest dog-and-pony show for the display of concern for the environment is now going on in Bangkok. Those who have and those who wish to have are arguing about fake alternatives in means and methods of dealing with the disaster (always set for Sometime In The Future) that is the looming Climate Change train wreck. A prominent proposal, favored not only by the have-not nations, but by the have-nations who still have forested land, is for other governments to pay them an allowance (read: bribe) for continuing to have forests. Reading between the lines, it appears that the idea is actually to give more to those who cut down the trees and then plant new trees. Somehow, each time the "forest" is replanted, plantation-like, it aids in Greenhouse Effect mitigation. It doesn't, actually, but remember, we're working on symbol here, never substance. As part of the consumerist-capitalist combines effort to obfuscate and confuse, consider that the very real difference between reduction and reduction of rate of increase is no longer discernable in media news reporting. Too many examples to list here. I leave it as an Exercise For The Student to find such examples. Hint: Consider the IATA report headlined "US slump takes toll on passenger traffic". In which it sounds as if there are fewer people flying; reading further, we find that the "fewer flyers" in fact means that the increase in passenger traffic is only 4% or 5%, rather than the 7.4% the airlines hoped for. Indeed; a reduction of some 35%(!) (of the year-on-year increase in traffic).
As an aside; it's becoming pretty clear, I think, that the real interest in educating children today is to make sure they remain innumerate, just as their parents appear to be. Only this way can such obvious examples of the old saying "Figures don't lie; but liars figure" continue to appear to have the necessary Quality Of Truthiness. (Thank you Stephen Colbert)
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