Graham Townsend
Jun 15, 2021

There is IMO a good deal of wisdom in this article but the fundamental problem is not addressed: selfishness and short-termism. Setting aside the extremely unlikely possibility that the problem is overblown i.e. that the global expert consensus is wrong, any effective policy shift would require us to ditch our energy-intensive lifestyle. Our cities are designed to make long-distance commuting inevitable for many; our current prosperity seems to depend on energy-intensive international trade. We hanker after energy-intensive appliances, long-distance holidays including flying (I plead a guilty past here) power boats, jet-skis and the like. So while getting people to accept that we have a problem is part of the issue, getting them to willingly ditch our affluence and accept a return to something like a pre WW2 lifestyle is an almost impossible ask. Your car or your kids? Choose.

Graham Townsend
Graham Townsend

Written by Graham Townsend

Background in chemical physics. Grew up in East Africa, lives in Christchurch NZ. Retired.

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