tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30598467.post3059658924060473830..comments2023-08-16T12:07:22.995+00:00Comments on The Daily (Maybe): Bjørn Lomborg speaks: but is he right?Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30598467.post-88718207023244614442011-01-25T19:46:50.761+00:002011-01-25T19:46:50.761+00:00I'm sorry anon, but while there are middle cla...I'm sorry anon, but while there are middle class liberals who do little things and then fly off skiing four times a year it hardly represents the Green movement. I think that's a bit lazy to be honest.<br /><br />The more important point though is that his solutions require political change as well - and I am casting doubt on whether they can work without a serious social shift to stop contributing to the problem.<br /><br />Some of the things he wants I want too. For example he believes we need massive investment in renewable energies to make them more efficient and cha=eaper to produce. I agree. But seeing as Lomburg doesn't control any industries or governments either we both end up trying to persuade people of the need for change.Jim Jeppshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30598467.post-25242235069606310592011-01-25T13:25:37.233+00:002011-01-25T13:25:37.233+00:00Clearly he has a very strong point. While the gree...Clearly he has a very strong point. While the green middle classes lecture the rest of an already hectored-to-death population, you might have noticed that, er, nothing much has happened. <br /><br />Too many Greens haven't themselves reduced their consumption, just look at YOUR OWN LIVES, are you really making much of a difference? I expect everyone reading this is responsible for more than a sustainable (personal) amount of emissions per year. <br /><br />If we want to stop this, we need to get on with some very smart ideas, and very quickly. I am totally sure that there's more chance of success taking up some of his ideas now rather than waiting for a green government. To me it boils down to one simple point - are people to much into their 'politics' to be pragmatic and actually put the planet first?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30598467.post-35116478035478701972011-01-22T18:49:28.859+00:002011-01-22T18:49:28.859+00:00Lomburg is not wrong - but is he right?
The thing...Lomburg is not wrong - but is he right?<br /><br />The thing is I don't disagree with a lot of his facts, the problem lies in the solutions. <br /><br />While Greens have been trying to persuade people to reduce consumption what we have not yet achieved is political change. Lomburg says this is impossible - so he replaces targets we wont meet with technologies we wont produce.<br /><br />Unless we have political change (and I don't simply mean a Green Party government) neither his solutions nor ours will be implemented. I think this is the missing part of his argument.<br /><br />If we don't have political and social change nothing else we dream up will happen anyway.Jim Jeppshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30598467.post-40509418579171422202011-01-22T11:02:57.458+00:002011-01-22T11:02:57.458+00:00Thing is, Lomborg is right. We do keep promising ...Thing is, Lomborg is right. We do keep promising to cut emissions, and never really carrying out that promise.<br /><br />We've reduced our emissions since 1990 by exploiting gas, exporting manufacturing to China, and the recent recession hasn't done any harm either. I'd put money that all these insulation programmes just mean people have warmer homes.<br /><br />Greens have being trying to convince people to reduce consumption in various forms since the 70s. It's not a message that's getting through. <br /><br />If we don't get on with the tech fixes, we'll be bemoaning the lack of behaviour change in the hottest summer of century in 2050, following every previous hottest summer of the century. I don't think he's underestimating the problems, but I do think there's a lot of over-estimating the potential for politics to magically solve the laws of mass psychology. This isn't a situation I like, but I can't see that its wrong.Cathrynhttp://www.cathrynsymons.comnoreply@blogger.com