An Inconvenient Truth

[Occhidiangela]

Regarding the Ocean . . an article today . . .

"The changes in our climate are severe and urgent even if it weren't for this, but this just adds impact and urgency to the situation," Holt said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6070400772.html

Neat article, thanks.

So, who has the political will to curb the explosive growth of carbon fuels in China and India? While their per capita energy consumption is at present lower that in the US, they have four times the "capitas" and are growing, while their emissions control regimen is laughable. See also Indonesia. Filth per BTU is a lot higher in most "developing" nations thanks to lax or non existent standards enforcement.

The US has to do its share to clean up the old act, no argument there. (More nukes, as I have been saying for 30 years.) But giving the "growing" economies a free pass is beyond irresponsible, it is just plain stupid on a global scale.

As for how wonderfully Green Europeans are, I will make two observations.

In Italy, 8 years ago, there was still NO imperative for unleaded gas. Regular old leaded gas ran most cars there. (LPG was making inroads, however, you could get it at AGIP stations. Not sure at the current state of play.) Each nation has a different record on successful enviromental enforcement. Russia inheireted the USSR's eco disaster. Likewise some of the Eastern European nations. I wonder at how Green Russia will ever become.

The cultural norm to keep things clean is fairly recent (albeit strong) among the indigenous population of most northern European countries. (North of the Alps, to include France) I remember what the acid rain did to the Black Forest by the early 1970's. How well internalized is the "green and clean" ethic among the immigrant population of Europe, which is where the bulk of Europe's population growth for the next generation seems to be coming from? I know how it is in South Texas: non existent.

This is a cultural behavior issue, a cultural core values issue. Having been in a great many third world nations in my day, I have deep misgivings as to the buy in of "green" among developing nations. It isn't high enough on the Maslow pyramid to get grass roots support.

Behavior is not easy to legislate. It takes profound internalization of a new norm to make it a habit, particularly when it takes some self sacrifice to achieve. It took draconian government policy to create the 55 MPH speed limits in the US, and the enforcement of unleaded gas and rising MPG standards to make a dent in US car culture.

The Tragedy of the Commons is not a problem unique to the United States, and is the engine that drives the exhaust stacks of the entire planet. I don't see it getting any better, any time soon, particularly when NAFTA or other treaties turn a blind eye to environmental larceny among "developing" trading partners.

Occhi