Quote from: Hawker on September 06, 2011, 04:50:22 PM

Quote from: FirstAscent on September 06, 2011, 04:46:33 PM

Quote from: FredericBastiat on September 06, 2011, 04:39:16 PM

Quote from: FirstAscent on September 06, 2011, 04:24:50 PM

Yes, I can. Because you keep thinking that pollution is the only negative effect. If you'd use your imagination, you'd realize that there are other damages in addition to pollution. Things you can't even imagine without learning more. Furthermore, a class action lawsuit cannot exist until damage is done. We're at a stage in our civilization where we want to prevent more damage from happening proactively. That means regulation.

I suggest you suspend any further speculation on how your ideas might work until you've taken the time to better understand all the issues that are at stake here.

Of course there's always something else. I just thought I'd tackle one issue at a time. The world is a big place, and a lot is going on in it. It would be presumptuous of me to think I know everything. Eat the proverbial elephant one bite at a time...

Wouldn't you be more credible if you took it upon yourself to learn as best as you are able the deeper interactions of the Earth's ecosystems, and what has occurred up until this point, before advocating your own ideas of policy?

Here's a little nugget of data for you: the average rate of species extinction over the lifetime of life on Earth is one per million per year. That number has been arrived at through independent methods. Today, the average rate of species extinction is 1,000 to 10,000 per million per year. In other words, species are going extinct today at a rate that is 1,000 to 10,000 times the normal rate. This all ties into biodiversity, which is a huge subject that deals with how the Earth self regulates itself.

Frederic has said he doesn't care if his idea would mean people dying. Why do you think he would care about other species? It really doesn't matter to him.

That extinction rate comparison is staggering — it really puts today’s environmental crisis into perspective.

Do you think the Universal Declaration of Human Rights should include environmental protection more explicitly, considering how deeply it impacts future generations?

islasmith

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