Hi chris
I think there is something in your case although I am unsure what you mean
by the lack of science behind the 'ecological' case - are you antoher Bush
who doesn't believe global warming is actually happening?
Is it not true that 137 species of plants, insects and animals are made
extinct everyday due to rainforest destruction?
Although I would agree that some writing in this area is particularly
unscientific and the data they use could be called into question.
We would love you to write something for the articles page of our website
if you would like to voice your opinion and give our site a broader range
of viewpoints.
I would (as a veggie) also love to see yourself or someone else write an
article on the economic and ecological arguement for vegetarianism.
Look forward to hearing from you
Finbarr
At 11:03 19/09/2002 +0100, you wrote:
>Hmmm ...wondering about the validity of that data Andy. I can tell you that
>if everyone was prepared to live at the same density as New Yorkers the
>whole planet's population would fit into a space the size of the former
>Yugoslavia leaving the rest of the planet to a few farmers and rainforest.
>
>When will anyone I wonder be brave enough to suggest we all go vegetarian -
>thus saving six sevenths of grazing lands and killing all domestic dogs and
>cats saving goodness knows how much. Obviously that is a bit harder to sell
>than stopping hunting or rigging the coffee markets or do we value Labradors
>more than humans - or do we not even have to make that choice?
>
>However I have heard all this before - one Thomas Malthus - and he was very
>badly wrong.
>
>I do worry that there are very few people/organisations making the other
>side of the arguments in schools - namely the planet is fine - we are better
>off now than ever before. Two and a half billion on the planet is a sign of
>our success not our failure. This whole (sorry Finbarr) ecological debate
>currently seems to lack scientific rigour. Using a bit of logical positivism
>- I try to (and get students to) question the source of the information, how
>it was gathered and try to destruct the argument - a bit of Popperian or
>Baconian falsification would not go amiss in this - before we accept
>anything as truth.
>
>I wonder very much about the geography doom mongers - not many of them would
>sell books, TV series, or lectures with titles like - everything OK or
>Planet not doomed. If you set out to prove the world is doomed you will of
>course find evidence to support that - but how much of the evidence to the
>contrary is ignored.
>
>Is Economics still a science?
>
>Mischievously yours
>
>Chris
>
>
Finbarr Carter ([log in to unmask])
Project Co-ordinator
'Just Business'
www.jusbiz.org
Norfolk Education and Action for Development
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