Ibon wrote:I am a lifetime Platinum member with American Airlines having surpassed 3 million miles already back in 2004 after 20 years of extensive business travel when I sold my business and exited the world of commerce. Now I only get in an airplane once or twice a year for short trips back to the USA but our little reserve here is increasingly becoming a world class destination drawing hundreds to get in airplanes to come visit. So direct or indirect my carbon footprint puts me in the top 1% egregious contributors of the problem. I know that. The irony to own a reserve and share wildlife with folks from all over the world while their travel to get here imperils our biosphere. I can't resolve this.
GASMON wrote:It's the billions of Chinese, Indians etc etc who increasingly DEMAND "The Western Lifestyle" who need to open up their environmental accounting Pstarr.
In global terms what you, me and Outcast etc do is completely and utterly insignificant.
The Chinese are like locusts who devour everything then move on. The're are all over Africa removing its wealth (on a far greater scale than we Brits did last couple of centuries).
Good luck with your new visitors Ibon, the "new" Chinese with wealth are a different animal from the older generations, who do / have work(ed) hard for little material gain.
There's 1.45 Billion Chinese - and again I'll repeat they all DEMAND the western life style. Brave man who will tell them they all can't have it.
As to the BRI - it will be built (actually its already work in progress in Thailand for the last couple of years), then factor in the millions (billions) of other ethnic groups the BRI passes through will want the same. Human nature - can't alter that.
Seal up your mountain Ibon before all the trees have been cut down and they build a take away on the summit !!!
Gas
GASMON wrote:Seal up your mountain Ibon before all the trees have been cut down and they build a take away on the summit !!!
Gas
GASMON wrote:Ibon wrote:The Chinese are going to extract resources to build their economic juggernaut but keep reserves and refuges intact for the wealthy to retreat to.
In your dreams Ibon. They will consume everything, then move on. Look what they have / are doing to their own (once beautiful) country. hardly any clean drinking water left, contaminated food, farmland etc.
Quite simply, the Chinese don't give a F***.
Gas
I find myself slowly growing tired of the dreary apocalyptic orientation regarding our biosphere. At this moment I see nothing in the near or mid term horizon changing our trajectory.
Newfie wrote:I find myself slowly growing tired of the dreary apocalyptic orientation regarding our biosphere. At this moment I see nothing in the near or mid term horizon changing our trajectory.
Ibon,
I find these statements contradictory. Not trying to argue, I understand the ennui you express. I hope you are right, but fear you are wrong. Neither of us will ever know. Such is life.
GASMON wrote:
In your dreams Ibon. They will consume everything, then move on. Look what they have / are doing to their own (once beautiful) country. hardly any clean drinking water left, contaminated food, farmland etc.
Quite simply, the Chinese don't give a F***.
Gas
Ibon wrote:
We have to face how resilient the global juggernaut is. We recently hosted a senior executive of Hauwei and his familly. Lovely young Chinese cosmopolitan family. Not at all the stereotype Chinese locust meme that you allude to. This is the generation that follows affluence looking for serenity and looking for holiday in a pristine setting. Remember Japan in the 80's? Everyone thought they were this rapacious force of locusts overtaking the planet with their economic might. And today the Japanese are depopulating and the young generation hardly share their parents ambitious outlook.
If this recent North Korea summit leads to a major change well here we come a few million refrigerators, TV sets and massive amounts of concrete infrastructure projects will follow in North Korea.
We must recognize that this global juggernaut of humanity is resilient and will continue to be so. The planet's natural resources will be plundered at the same time small pockets will be preserved. Those small pockets held as national parks and conservation areas will increase dramatically in value as unprotected areas get raped.
One day our reserve here in Panama with its fresh water and forests will be a haven for the wealthy to come and enjoy. There will be more poor around the world, more destabilizing environmental consequences but make no mistake this juggernaut will not stop.
Kudzu Ape is formidable and Thomas Malthus continues to be wrong and The Overshoot Predator continues to be deep in hibernation.
ralfy wrote:
I think senior executives who can afford to travel to exotic locations make up only a fraction of the world's population, where most earn less than $10 a day.
Ibon wrote:Most folks really cannot grasp the numbers. Let's say 5% of the chinese population are wealthy enough to do leisure travel. Doesn't sound like much does it?
Well that's 75 million people!
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