There are many things we can do, now. The simplest one is to consume less. But, we are not going to do that. Why? It’s not the way we live. We expect to be able to have what we want. In time, perhaps, we will be able to use less of the Earth’s resources as more of these changes impact on our lives. But, not now. Peoples behaviour is very hard to change. We are just too busy living our lives, to think about and take action on events that may or may not happen in the future.
Some scientists have said that we change now, or it’s going to be too late. Rajendra Pachauri, who accepted the Nobel Prize on behalf of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year, "If there’s no action before 2012, that’s too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment."
Business and government leaders have to realise this. And they have to take action that will persuade, or force us to consume less. One way of doing this is to allow prices to rise. The recent increase in the price of oil, to over $120 per barrel, is a move in the right direction. Politicians are now bringing in cap-and-trade schemes, that are supposed to encourage businesses to reduce their carbon emissions.
Again, this is not enough.
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