Our planet dies while we buy

I read an article on how lovely it would be if gas went to $10 a gallon. It was one of the many on how we cannot continue to consume as we are, not just gas, but all resources.

Today the following was reported by the Guardian and has been the lead story on many European news programs.

“The human race is living beyond its means. A report backed by 1,360 scientists from 95 countries - some of them world leaders in their fields - today warns that the almost two-thirds of the natural machinery that supports life on Earth is being degraded by human pressure.

“The study contains what its authors call ‘a stark warning’ for the entire world. The wetlands, forests, savannahs, estuaries, coastal fisheries and other habitats that recycle air, water and nutrients for all living creatures are being irretrievably damaged. In effect, one species is now a hazard to the other 10 million or so on the planet, and to itself.”

I fumed really when I was in the US over Christmas and saw all the gas guzzling cars. I wanted to shout “murderer” to anyone who is not driving a fuel efficient car and by that I mean any car that doesn’t get 30 miles or more to the gallon. I want to say, “you have helped kill those 1500+ American soldiers, you have helped killed those Iraqis, you have helped kill the 30,000 Europeans who died of the heat in summer 2005. You are selfish. You are irresponsible.”

A lot of me would like to see the unhappy face of a person with a 30 mile commute to work in a car that gets 15 miles to the gallon and he has to pay $40 a day or $200 a week to get to work.

Yes, it would be an economic catastrophe, but the catastrophe will come anyway. To me the only question is which generation will pay for our utter selfishness to consume, consume, consume. Rome burned while Nero fiddled. We buy while our planet dies