The Principle also seeks to minimize injury to the environment, though it is now becoming abundantly clear that we collectively are inflicting massive damage upon our environment, and therefore of course, upon ourselves, every one of us.
We cause abundant pollution, create huge amounts of physical waste, use our limited supply of land, water and energy resources without thought to conservation, and pay only lip service to the problems of the morrow. Self-styled environmentalists weep and wail, a few scientists give dire warnings. But for the vast majority, global warming and growing resource shortages are a big yawn (though of course none would care to admit it).
What is our response? The response is fairly typical for this world and its governments. They organize global conferences at which they talk a lot, throw blame back and forth, create complex “credit swaps” and make collective pledges which they proudly announce at the concluding group photo opportunity amid smiles and warm handshakes. They remain blissfully unaware that with the costs, the flights and the hot air expelled during the speeches they have themselves made a substantial contribution to the very problem they are trying to reduce, then go home and do nothing. Perhaps the main benefit for the World Leaders has been to raise their sagging prestige at home, which after all is one of the traditional reasons for Summit Conferences.
Better for each country, if its government is truly serious, to establish its own meaningful goals, specific targets and time frame, then set about putting them into direct action, keeping the public abreast with regular reports.
The two prime objectives must be to reduce energy consumption, pollution and waste.
Perhaps the single area to target if energy consumption is to be reduced, is transportation. More focus on public transportation requires at the same time that new housing developments be clustered around public transport facilities, as also with commercial developments. Private car sales need to be directed, perhaps through balancing taxes/subsidies, towards hybrid vehicles. Hybrids virtually eliminate the major source of pollution caused by slow running engines in urban areas and in slow moving traffic. Additionally they can make use of a major, currently wasted source of power: the power wasted in braking, which with hybrids can be regenerative. Claims that all-electric, battery driven vehicles are superior ignore the original power source, and the often considerable cost of loss in power transmission.
Reductions should be made in public lighting especially between the hours of 1am and 6am, coupled with strict speed controls in built-up areas.
Energy utilities should offer loans for power-saving home insulation, with loan and repayment based on estimated savings. Loans also available for solar power where climatically warranted. Incandescent light bulbs should also be rapidly phased out.
We also need to take a serious look at garbage, not how we dispose of it, but primarily at reducing its quantity, then enforcing universal homeowner sorting and recycling. Paper, glass and plastics can all be re-used, organic waste resold profitably as fertilizer, and what remains can be incinerated to generate electricity.
There is no shortage of relatively simple, do-able answers. Nothing complicated which cannot be done by any government having even the slightest regard for its reputation and the health of its nation. Government needs to bite the bullet, and tell us to do it, despite inevitable popular grumbling. Again, setting targets and publicizing regular reports encourages identification with, and (fairly) willing participation in these various schemes. But the initiative must come from the top.
