There they were, dozens of well meaning folks planting a couple hundred trees, all the bright smiling faces, the parents and the kids. Then, as the camera pulled back, there was a momentary glimpse of the parking lot full of SUVs they'd arrived there in directly behind them. There were folks learning which dish detergent to buy, which window washing fluid, which bathroom cleanser was the best 'green' product. But, and watching the TV muted is great for this, as the camera panned around it showed these dedicated folks living in huge houses, with elegant furnishings, with expensive appliances, wearing trendy new clothes and...well you get the picture.
Meanwhile as hundreds of Canadians rode their bikes to demonstrate their love of mother earth thousands of others lined up in their idling gas guzzlers at the border crossings to go shopping at the American malls. Our species is catapulting toward disaster and, as Naomi Klein points out, even the tiny minority who are trying to make a difference are being led by professional environmentalists into believing they can avert catastrophe by consuming "green" products .
As William Rees, the inventor of the Environmental Footprint concept, points out, "Even if every person on the planet made every change possible in their lifestyle the effect would be marginal at best." The green movement attacks their opponents as 'deniers' but in fact those skeptics may be in considerably less denial than environmentalists who paint a picture of global warming Armageddon then tell people it can be avoided by buying 'green' products, recycling and creating clever markets in pollution. To be sure life itself will go on with us or without us, but only the total collapse of our gluttonous culture can save us, the rogue primate, from self destruction.
