Global Changing..... Kids Today.....

Flooded with messages about global warming.... Imaging how it must look through the eyes of a child. To watch Mother Earth's distruction. It seems so emminant. So unbelieveable even. The mother of all problems is the message we and our children are hearing. I never heard such scary messages growing up. Never before has a generation of youth had to face this kind of perspective; this kind of problem. The health of the environment. A sickness that may not be fixable if global solutions aren't implemented soon.

That must be pretty scary for kids. It's pretty scary for me. So many key players dropping the ball and trying to pretend it will magically take care of itself. The impacts and implications are too big for anyone to face. Anyone... being organized bodies like governments and policy makers and business and families. Groups and individuals each with their own influences and responsibilities. Who will make change first and fastest and how can they motivate others.

I'm not very confident in government. If they'd just do their job as policy makers and guard the public good and not do the bidding of business they could take a lead. That's not our current political/economic reality. Government is business. It's all blurred so not much hope government can really do much in the short term. They are part of the problem at this point. It's going to take a rethinking and restructuring of government, redefining its role in serving public interests. They don't do much of that anymore. They don't serve a public they sell a service to customer.

I think the biggest change agents are everyday people. If our junk is a problem than we each need to reduce our junk. At least for starters. Easier said than done but more and more people are doing it and creating new drivers along the way. Seems to me business is responding to consumer demand for products and services that are less harmful to the environment. People talk about carbon footprints. And zero carbons. It's becoming a kind of game for some folks. Donating to environmental projects to 'pay' for their use of carbon emitions when they fly a dirty jet or ride a dirty train or drive a dirty car. Like a catholic 'hale Mary' or something. It's not all bad I suppose if the money they donate actually speeds up replacing those dirty jets with a cleaner flying machine. People won't all stop flying but they can demand a cleaner way. Everyday people have a lot of power when it comes to cleaning up the environment.

I'd like everyone to not buy stuff that is over packaged. That alone would start a domino that could make a huge difference. The emitions to produce all that plastic that may never decay. We are now getting corn based alternatives to plastics. Consumer demand caused that. A market niche opened up when someone heard enough people say they wanting an alternative to plastic.

Same is happening with the fashion industry. Market niches opening up for fashion using sustainable textiles and clean processing. Demand for responsible coffee. Cleaner fuels. Organic, fairtrade are familiar words in the marketplace. Consumer demand is putting green technology on the front burner. Consumer demand is mobilizing creative solutions from the market place. Consumers don't want to give up using stuff so they figure if they can use stuff that isn't 'as' harmful then they will be doing their part.

Maybe its just that we have to ween our way to being better global environmental citizens. Start by cutting back the toxins and maybe we can work our way to cutting back the waste, the gluttony, the indulgences that we have become accustom to consuming.

Will it change people's connections with Mother Earth? Not sure. One can hope but likely not for the masses. Small pockets of people will take it to the next level. For most it will serve as a false sense of security to at least consume 'cleaner' stuff until the next penny drops. It will take more than purchasing power. It will take larger social changes and a reawakening of people's connection with Mother Earth.

That's a romantic notion say the futurists. Back to nature. Spiritual beings having a human experience. Earth the giver of life. A still marginalized perspective on the meaning of life and purpose of our social evolution.

Back to the kids today who live in virtual world's. They see nature as a luxury. As recreational territory. Movies, games, TV, politics, adults programs them to expect the natural world to die. Their world has moved indoors. They have put a curtain on the natural world and they live online; they exist as first person role playing characters of their chosing in the world's of their chosing. They create themselves, their world and they control their every action. They are invincible and powerful and need only to be hooked to the world wide warp-hole to live. Climate change is when you change the temperature on the heater/air-conditioner. Download me Scotty.