As much as we know about the impacts of the Greenhouse Effect to the earth and the direction the environment is heading the world population particularly in the developed countries continue to drag its feet at taking aggressive concrete action. This seems to be a result of the ingrained Capitalist view of life, “Money Talks and Bullshit Walks”. Having grown up in suburban America and living the last 20 years in Asia and watching countries like China and Indonesia develop physically and mentally along the same path as suburban America, I can only have nightmares regularly of where the world environment is heading!
I think most of America knows that China is emerging as an economic superpower, but the real impact of this has not yet sunken into most of the general population. Personally visiting and watching Asia grow over the past 25 years, I can see the suburbs spring up from China, to Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. I have visited China over 25 years ago when Beijing had only a limited number of cars and the roads everywhere were filled with bikes where today the roads are all oversized super highways filled with cars. In the earlier days of development cars were small Japanese Daihatsu, now GM Buicks and the likes fill the roads. In the early days large extravagant dinners were a rarity, now business people regularly hold banquets where extravagance and waste is a norm to show off new found affluence! If the recent opening ceremony at the Olympics is anything to measure China’s extravagance by, the world better watch out! Throughout history there was only one emperor to live a lavish lifestyle, but now this is the aspiration of over one billion!
In China developers and designers always use the approach bigger is better, whether it is referring to room sizes, building heights, space between buildings or size of roads! The collective impact of all this on the developed countries is their worst nightmare, a bidding war for natural resources and in particular fossil fuels. As demand escalates and resources are depleted we can expect gasoline at prices never imagined. In addition the impact on the environment will be phenomenal, but as true capitalists, it won’t be the concern for the environment that will cause anyone to take action, it will only be an economic decision.
It would be great to hear the enlightened developed countries with the high level of education and foresight can see all these events clearly unfolding and are taking a concerted effort to save Mother Earth and humanity, but unfortunately we do not see that happening. In fact the professionals from the developed countries are lending their expertise to places like China and India to develop the most resource wasteful lifestyles for populations far exceeding that of North America and that is a situation that should be scary!
(see part 2 of 2)
I think most of America knows that China is emerging as an economic superpower, but the real impact of this has not yet sunken into most of the general population. Personally visiting and watching Asia grow over the past 25 years, I can see the suburbs spring up from China, to Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. I have visited China over 25 years ago when Beijing had only a limited number of cars and the roads everywhere were filled with bikes where today the roads are all oversized super highways filled with cars. In the earlier days of development cars were small Japanese Daihatsu, now GM Buicks and the likes fill the roads. In the early days large extravagant dinners were a rarity, now business people regularly hold banquets where extravagance and waste is a norm to show off new found affluence! If the recent opening ceremony at the Olympics is anything to measure China’s extravagance by, the world better watch out! Throughout history there was only one emperor to live a lavish lifestyle, but now this is the aspiration of over one billion!
In China developers and designers always use the approach bigger is better, whether it is referring to room sizes, building heights, space between buildings or size of roads! The collective impact of all this on the developed countries is their worst nightmare, a bidding war for natural resources and in particular fossil fuels. As demand escalates and resources are depleted we can expect gasoline at prices never imagined. In addition the impact on the environment will be phenomenal, but as true capitalists, it won’t be the concern for the environment that will cause anyone to take action, it will only be an economic decision.
It would be great to hear the enlightened developed countries with the high level of education and foresight can see all these events clearly unfolding and are taking a concerted effort to save Mother Earth and humanity, but unfortunately we do not see that happening. In fact the professionals from the developed countries are lending their expertise to places like China and India to develop the most resource wasteful lifestyles for populations far exceeding that of North America and that is a situation that should be scary!
(see part 2 of 2)
Jiwa Studio
Singapore,
October 2011WWW.Wix.com/JiwaStudio/JiwaWeb
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