The Economy vs. The Environment
Excellent debate coming up tonight in Dublin's Button Factory, where David McWilliams will MC the "big night out" that is Leviathan. "Economy vs. Environment" is the topic and among those arguing the issues will be David Horgan of Petrel Resources, Paul Sommerville of Delta Index and the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan. It should be a great "greens" against "fossils" dust up.
Not present, but well worth quoting in any such debate is David Edgerton, professor of the history of technology at Imperial College London and author of The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History since 1900. If all those idealists preaching some kind of post-industrial, solar-powered, web 2.0 economy, get on your nerves, Edgerton is the perfect antidote. Coal, not wind or sunshine or ethanol, says Edgerton will be the critical energy source of our time. America and China have tons of the black stuff and they fully intend to burn the lot of it. This is heresy to the ears of the Gaia believers, of course, but a depression here and an oil-shock there will soon remind them of just how dependent we still are are on the big, heavy, dirty things of the Industrial Age.
Comments
While we need to think about alternate sources of energy, we also need to acknowledge our total dependence at least for the time being on these traditional energy sources which we have been relying upon for ages. A more balanced and realistic approach is needed. We run a web directory for environmental issues called the website of Climatarians that addresses many of these issues.
Posted by: Climatarians green community | December 2, 2009 1:12 PM