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--001a11c32ddccba20c052d1d0a10 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thanks for this reference, David - a dense and fascinating article that can be found online: http://dieoff.org/page41.htm "Toward a New Economics: Questioning Growth" by Herman E. Daly Nancy On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 8:01 PM, David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote: > Hi Jim & All, > Mar 2, 2016 > Quoting Jim "what can/should be done about this anthropogenic problem= ." > > A) About 1950, long before global warming surfaced, I concluded > that rampant consumerism, mechanization and the massive highway system > which would be needed to serve the dream of a car (or several vehicles) i= n > every driveway would quickly shred the environment and generate > unemployment. > > In the mid 50's a common joke was "If all the economists in the world > were laid end to end they would still all point in different directions". > > Now one would have to restate that to "If all the economists in the > world were laid end to end they would still all point in the > wrong direction" and it is no longer amusing. > > When global warming came along in the late 60's it seemed obvious tha= t > combating global warming was desirable, even if it turned out to be a > fiction, because actions to combat global warming, reduced consumption of > fossil fuels, would also help to at least reduce the destructive effects > of the above slow motion train wreck (A).. > > At about that time I somewhere ran into an interesting article"Toward a > New Economics: Questioning Growth" by Herman E. Daly, pp. 47-52 in ?; tor= e > it out and saved it. This was an excerpt from a book The Patient Earth to > be published in 1971 (which I never read). > > But it is still taken as gospel that GNP must increase each year or > else and after interest rates have barely exceeded inflation for 5 years > our head bankers imagine that lowering rates, perhaps into negative > territory, will stimulate the economy by increasing consumption while, > heaven forbid, not luring people into increasing their debt load And of > course, at the same time, expressing the hope that people will also > continue to save for the rainy day or old age whichever comes first. > > Or, in fewer words, if our financial leaders had a clue then the > rattle would drive them crazy. > > Industry has found ways to force consumerism; shoddy goods. Our first > toaster, 1960 vintage, lasted 40 years; by taking it apart, turning a scr= ew > here, bending a rod there, repairing a broken filament with a loop of > wire... Our second toaster lasted one week, our third about one month and > the fourth is still going after 15 years. None of the last three toasters > can be taken apart so when something goes the unit also is toast. > > I doubt that governments can assume leadership in global warming any > more than they have been able to come to grips with the folly of perpetua= l > growth. And, in any case, the two are just different sides of the same > cloth. > > It is up to individuals to reduce their direct or indirect consumptio= n > of fossil fuels. If enough make this choice then politicians may get onsi= de. > > For those who have the patience to lobby for change, a huge reduction > in motor vehicle traffic, highway construction, highway repair... could b= e > launched by a few strokes of a pen in government hands. With Motor Vehicl= e > Insurance and Registration as high as it is and gasoline as cheap as it i= s > there is little incentive to drive less. > > If Insurance and Registration were both proportional to distance > driven then there would be real incentive for the public to demand and us= e > effective public transit; less demand for wider highways, less traffic an= d > fewer accidents. All held back in an effort to keep that perpetual growth > flywheel turning ever faster. > > > End of rant. > DW > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > *From:* Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> > *To:* naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> > *Sent:* Tuesday, March 01, 2016 8:03 PM > *Subject:* [NatureNS] Leap Day, Leap Manifesto, global warming, Academy > Awards > > > > Begin forwarded message: > > *From: *Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> > *Subject: **Leap Day, Leap Manifesto, global warming, Academy Awards* > *Date: *March 1, 2016 at 6:38:35 PM AST > *To: *Nature BNS <nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca> > *Cc: *Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> > > *FEB. 29, 2016* - *LEAP DAY! * Makes me think of the *Leap Manifesto > movement,* ala Naomi Klein=E2=80=99s book and the similarly titled docume= ntary > filmed by Avi Lewis, *=E2=80=9CThis Changes Everything=E2=80=9D*, concern= ing global > climate change and its repercussions and what can/should be done about th= is > anthropogenic problem. > > I=E2=80=99m glad I was up late watching the end of the Academy Awards on = Sunday > (yesterday). Leonardo DiCaprio won best actor for =E2=80=9CThe Revenant= =E2=80=9D, and his > short acceptance speech ended with some very well-chosen words about > climate change and the need for humanity to come to its senses finally an= d > so something about it. He finished with something like, =E2=80=9CI don= =E2=80=99t take our > planet for granted, and I don=E2=80=99t take this award for granted.=E2= =80=9D > > If anyone knows how to get DiCaprio=E2=80=99s actual words on climate cha= nge, I > would like to see them again. > > Perhaps* fittingly, today was abnormally very warm*, albeit with very > strong winds. Apparently Greenwood, King=E2=80=99s County, Nova Scotia, = was the > warmest spot in Canada at *17.6 degrees C.* > > *Cheers from Jim, in Wolfville.* > > > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2016.0.7442 / Virus Database: 4537/11726 - Release Date: 03/01/1= 6 > > --001a11c32ddccba20c052d1d0a10 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Thanks for this reference, David - a dense and fascin= ating article that can be found online:<br><br><a href=3D"http://dieoff.org= /page41.htm" target=3D"_blank">http://dieoff.org/page41.htm</a><br><br>&quo= t;Toward a New=20 Economics: Questioning Growth" by Herman E. Daly<br><br></div>Nancy<br= ><div><br><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Wed,= Mar 2, 2016 at 8:01 PM, David & Alison Webster <span dir=3D"ltr">&