OpEdNews - Page 2 of Article: SUSTAINABLE VOTING & DEVELOPMENT--EUROPEANS ARE STILL EXPECTED TO ACT & VOTE PAROCHIALLY IN THESE 2009 EUROPEAN PARLIAME

This means: “The model of unlimited material growth in a physically limited world is outdated. The [newest] study takes a look at a fundamental change: what changes are necessary to make Germany fit for the future and capable of contributing its share to the world’s sustainability? What international and national rules and institutions are required; what changes are needed in politics, economy, consumption, products and lifestyle, at work and leisure, in technology, social co-existence and in our culture? The study stimulates, suggests, conceptualizes, and outlines visions. Thus the dimension of the task becomes apparent, as do the opportunities to become active; making the study a sober and critical book that still offers motivation for change.”

Over the evening, Kopat noted the following major points:

(1) The recent world peak in oil prices nearing $150 a barrel are not an aberration. The demand for fuel is still high and peak oil production has almost been reached worldwide. This means oil prices will put pressure on countries to move to more sustainable and environmentally energy products, but not necessarily at a fast enough speed--unless the masses of people who are concerned about the matter put significantly more pressure on their governments to act now.

(2) There is certainly the possibility that the environment in the long run will be helped by the oncoming higher-and-higher fuel prices, but with usage of coal by China, India and in the USA set to increase for the next decade, reduction in pollutants and greenhouse gases will not occur automatically. Again voters and taxpayers need to pressure on their governments to take action.

(3) One problem for the realization of the democratic desires of many people to obtain more sustainable development has been the huge amount of lobbying and propaganda moneys that global energy corporations have a their disposal. Again, citizens in Europe and around Europe must push to reduce the false information spun by the corporate world. The case of lobbies in the USA working against factual science findings over the past two decades is well known here in Europe. Moreover, lobbying capital and/or pressures on politicians must both be reduced.

(4) Although the older OECD countries of the world had been responsible for the majority of greenhouse gases prior to 1998, since that date many developing countries have surpassed the majority of OECD lands in terms of production of greenhouse gases. This means this is a global matter and Europe and other OECD lands need to be working hand-in-hand to reduce greenhouse gases and environmental damage in all of the developing lands, waterways, and breathable environments.

(5) All over Europe and the developing world, nations are using the wrong measures, such as GNP or stock markets, to measure economic growth and success. This skewed form of looking at public economy must be ended. An educated and democratic people need to demand better benchmarks or milestones, such as truer quality-of-life measures & sustainability indexes--or even simple things like measurable improvements in education and access to education and funding for the weaker in society. There is no need to focus only on making the rich richer, which has been the case for too many decades.

(6) Surveyed Germans have revealed again-and-again that making more money and buying more things does not make them any happier. A similar finding is evident around the globe. One reason for this is the increased pressure on overtime, on efficiency in production, and on getting both married partners into the workplace. These trends have all hurt the quality-of-life in developed and developing lands over the past five to six decades. This overemphasis on production and efficiency must be turned instead towards sustainable lifestyles & training. In addition measures of progress must again be applied differently by the governments and industries than has been the case to date. That is, new measures of success must become mainstreamed in the political economies of the world. Democracies must see to this. What about looking at success as the reduction of the numbers of hours one has to work while improving one’s quality-of-living and/or one’s humanistic education standards. Isn’t that a better set of goals?

(7) We already have so many energy-efficiency creating or obtaining methodologies and devices on the market. For example, heat pumps could help houses in Europe to save immensely--saving up to 90% of the heating cost in homes (if used with proper insulation practices & if instituted with the moneys being thrown at nuclear power by European regimes these days. Certainly, more solar- and other energy alternatives could be supported as well by the European governments if money wasn’t thrown away on wasteful large projects.

THE SLEEPING GIANT: ENERGY EFFICIENCY

By the way, Kopat calls energy efficiency the SLEEPING GIANT in Europe and North America. Imagine what would happen if the moneys used on traditional coal and fuel plants spent to improve energy efficiency nationally, European-wide, or world-wide!!!!

One bumper sticker, Kopat saw a few years back, said it all.

Kopat described that the bumper sticker, which someone had placed on an SUV down the street from where he walked to work. The sticker stated: “A penis extension would do more for you than building and driving an SUV in order to show your manliness.”
Big corporations and big investors love to throw money at big projects, like big nuclear or coal power plants. Saving energy is for them and politicians not cool and a much more indirect way to make a profit.

Kopat knows that this sort of way of thinking and investing must be ended. Only a more democratic and aware European voting population can wean the continent of “the big machine” or “big project mentality” and related approaches to energy and sustainable development in Europe.

Kopat teased and challenged the largely German audience, “Look, the Dutch ride bicycles 20 times as often as Germans. That means they live healthier and they pollute less. We need to change the way we think and make decisions. This is why I gave up a family car ten years ago—and I haven’t looked back.”

THIS WEEKEND’S EUROPEAN ELECTIONS

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