: : "That only indicates to me that these other countries are seriously lagging behind.: Really? Shows a decided lack of understanding of basic physics of resource consumption, Frenchy.
: : So, you tell me, why is it that the pollution standards in America are so far beyound anything found in the Third World?
: Because much of the heavy industry that used to happen in places like Love Canal has been moved to the Third World to use their cheaper labour costs and lower environmental standards to maximise First World profits.
: : Or is your point simply that the First World nations ought to be polluting the hell out of the planet like undeveloped nations?
: We are- we just get them to do it for us; we buy the things their primary industry produces.
: : 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; consider this. In 70 years we have consumed half of the world's estimated TOTAL resources; 'we' being the West. The USA still consumes 22% of the world's resources, despite having 4% of the population. If the entire world were to live like the US, then it would require the world's natural resources to produce 550% - five and a half times - as much as it is currently producing; merely to support the current US lifestyle on a global scale.
: There simply aren't enough raw materials to go around. To argue that humanity will somehow become six times more efficient is naive in the extreme; our society is currently operating at a net loss; as I said, we have wasted over half of the world's resources already this century.
: Can you magic up raw materials to support this lifestyle, Frenchy?; and if you can't can you tell us where this global Western-style capitalism is coming from?
Here's another example; a half century ago anyone who said that there would soon be a major shift in economics and in fact, in the daily lives of ordinary people based on sand would have been considered a prime candidate for the looney bin.
Today the computer industry is based on silicone, sand, and a healthy dose of human capital; imagination, initiative, and risk taking.
What will it be tomorrow? Beats the crap out of me, but I hope to hell I catch the IPO.
