Quote:
Originally Posted by bitontheslide
The argument that China and India have is that the west exploited the situation during their period of large industrial growth, without regard to the environment, so why should China and India be held back now during their growth period. They won't comply, and I can see their point. Lets also have some perspective in that every time a volcano erupts it makes our environmental targets in to a joke.
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Why should they be held back? Because their abuse of the environment is breathtaking.
I think we have to move away from the mindset that every ill in the world is directly traceable back to us. Don't let's insist they do anything to improve their environmental record because it isn't their fault, it's ours, is an excuse that's really getting tired. In fact, we have propped up their economic rise with endless foreign aid. They've had their independence since the forties and while I applaud their monumental rise to the world stage, economically, it's come at a massive environmental cost. I'm not saying we should lower our environmental standards, I'm saying it's a bit rich asking us to pay through the nose for a "green" economy while other, larger countries are doing virtually nothing. All their crap from their factories and plants goes straight in the river. All their fossil fuel burning goes straight into the stratosphere. So I'd like to remind everyone that driving a Prius does not cancel out the environmental impact of your 'made in India' designer handbag