Some way or other, it seems that the Copenhagen conference does not make a lot of progress. So here is yet another appeal to the people who govern us, although I seem to be repeating myself all the time.
We (and not only we) Middle Europeans live beyond our means. This has been going on for a long time already. Some of us live on borrowed money. Sometimes we manage to live the way we do by exploiting other nations and regions. But first and foremost, we are exploiting our planet. In doing so, we endanger our future.
People like Carl Amery or the “Club of Rome” started telling us a long time ago that this cannot go on. Since, however, the basically correct predictions did not come to happen quite as foreseen down to every detail, the warnings were not taken seriously.
Now we sense that matters slowly start getting serious. One billion people starve. Water gets more and more scarce. The climate starts to show a reaction. Global threats are perceived. There is a power shift not favouring us.
We realize that, even if we will manage to bring about change, ugly side-effects will accompany it. It will be impossible to prevent a polarization of society, social tension, violence as a result thereof, mass poverty and many more unpleasant phenomena.
Yet, after all, we all are just human. We do not enjoy hearing the unpleasant news. It is no fun changing one’s habits. So what are we to do as the time comes when we are stuck between a rock and a hard place?
Well, it is very easy: we will fall back on our reserves. We will indebt ourselves, both collectively and individually. When that is no longer possible, we will continue by plundering the main essence. That is, we will save money where future investments would be badly needed.
In Germany, for example, we have discovered education as the ideal piggy bank to rob. There was a time when we in Germany were really successfully investing on the educational front. When money started getting scarce, providing money for education went to the dogs. Debt redemption, social benefits, medicine, motorways, and many other issues seemed more important.
It is both stupid and frivolous to preserve a high standard of living at the cost of education.
We really should spend more on education. We should promote the right technologies and raise the price of the false ones. Even if it hurts.
And we should not look towards Copenhagen or keep waiting for other nations. Nor should we simultaneously try to increase growth with borrowed money and a “growth improvement law”.
It makes me sad to see how in Copenhagen nothing at all is discussed towards a social awakening. Instead, all they do is throwing around numbers in their individual interests. Is that really the best we all can do?
RMD
(Translated by EG)
Loading ...