: [Frenchy sputtered]:
: : : First you prattle on endlessly about the mean old capitalists and the misery and death and environmental destruction that they bring to the world, never once thinking that people that I happen to hold in high regard, maybe even people in my immediate family, are amongst those that you would classify as "capitalist's".
: [Farinata replied:]
:
: : And? My grandfather was Haile Selassie's bank manager during World War Two. It doesn't mean I have to think he was right. You just have to look at pollution figures to see that industrial capitalism destroys the environment in double-quick time.
:
: *China and India are the two most populous nations in the world. Population figures for the two and the US (in thousands, 1997 est.):
:
: China: 1243738
:
: India: 960178
:
: US: 271658
:
: Yet Energy Consumption (1,000 Mt Coal equiv, 1995) and CO2 Emissions (10,000 Mt coal equiv, 1994) are as follows:
:
: China: 976/828436
:
: India: 386/236448
:
: US: 11312/271648
:
: The US comprises less than 4% of the world's population yet the US consumes 22% of the world's natural resources. Something else to take 'pride' in. (All figures from UNESCO)
:
:
: 
"That only indicates to me that these other countries are seriously lagging behind.
When I went to China I found it hard to believe that major road construction was being performed by hand, coolies were carrying wicker baskets full of dirt and rubble to be used elsewhere. Two cylinder diesel powered carts, belching tons of exhaust, were (are) used to carry other goods from point A to point B. The air and water were visibly polluted. I saw basically the same thing in other SE Asian countries. Flying from Fujian Province (Xiamen) to Beijing proved interesting; the entire country side disappeared because of the many many small fires that are used for cooking and burning junk. You want to see pollution, go to one of those countries that use a lot less energy than a civilized country.
So, you tell me, why is it that the pollution standards in America are so far beyound anything found in the Third World?
Or is your point simply that the First World nations ought to be polluting the hell out of the planet like undeveloped nations?
Perhaps a healthy dose of Capitalism coupled with private ownership and laws to protect private ownership would be a good place to start if you were serious about wanting to help those countries."
Frenchy indignantly continued sputtering.
