Saturday, September 22, 2007

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black !!

Many of the most connected political operatives in the United States have reported on the topics that were discussed by President Bush and his Chinese counterpart President Hu during their summit early last year.

A consensus has emerged among these well connected journalists and opinion shapers that athe main topic that occupied these two leaders was that of energy. President Bush, the political leader of a nation that consumes over 20 million barrels of crude oil a day has expressed concern about the rising level of consumption of a nation that has over five times the US population and yet consumes less than one third the US total. Can anyone pull that with a straight face? Are we truly telling others that we see nothing wrong in consuming fifteen times what they do on a per capita basis and that it is their relatively smaller consumption that needs to be constrained so that we can go on building our large homes, driving our huge SUVs and maintaining our highly energy intensive life style? It does take lots of chutzpah to do that, doesn’t it?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The United States makes up only about 5% of the world's population; however, it is its single largest source of carbon from fossil fuels, emitting about 24% of the world's totals. The average American citizen consumes about five times more energy than the average global citizen. President Bush has no buisness telling any country how to take control of their impact on the environment because his country does more damages to this planet than any other. President Bush needs to take advantage of his time left in office and make at least one positive impact on the inhabitants of this country: encourage not just people but government officials and corporations to change their procedures. When the president preeches about his concern for the environment he does not appear to be sincerely concerned or even properly educated on the facts. It is near impossible for a country to become more environemtally-friendly when its leader is ignorant to what is actually going on and how he as an individual can make a difference. It is not enough to just tell people what they should do. A good leader makes an example of himself and shows people what they should do. People can tell when someone is not sincere, and if you are not being true to your "beliefs" others will pick up on it and will realize that you are wasting your breathe and their time.

Anonymous said...

I think Bush does have a lot of nerve making such suggestions and that Americans have just as much nerve living in the fashion that they do. The idea to make other countries use less just so we could keep driving V8 gas-guzzlers and use more electricity is completely outrageous. But who really wants to stop living the way they do or have less than what they already have? I sure don’t. I believe in teaching about the environment and taking steps towards its benefit, but I’m personally not willing to go to the extreme like stop driving. However, that doesn’t mean that we should police the world and tell others how to live for our benefit. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t want to or need to live a better lifestyle. Rather than focusing on guiding others, we first need to guide ourselves in the right direction and start being more efficient with what we have. Once we can come to terms with working with what we have, then we can worry about consuming less. But in no means should we tell others what to do while we do not advocate it ourselves. That is the perfect definition of hypocrisy.

Anonymous said...

All I can say is what makes us think that we are better than the rest of the world’s population? We pollute and everyone else suffers. We consume and everyone feels the loss. We waste and deplete resources for everyone.

The United States citizens have to remember that we are not only ruining our future and the future of others around us, but the future of our race.

Anonymous said...

It certainly seems contradictory and deceiving to make a statement about the environmental footprint of another country while ignoring your own accountability. I think President Bush’s statement demonstrates a misunderstanding of the situation.

Natasha’s comment on the average American citizen consuming about 5 times the energy of an average global citizen is very relevant and indicative of our harmful contribution to the energy crisis. It is disrespectful to criticize someone else for something that we as a nation are largely responsible for, because that type of action makes it seem like we are trying to negate responsibility or scapegoat someone else. Placing blame onto others does not solve any problems, and in this case it is particularly unfair.

oakleyses said...

tory burch outlet, michael kors outlet online, nike air max, louis vuitton, michael kors outlet, tiffany and co jewelry, michael kors outlet online, nike free, louis vuitton handbags, nike shoes, louis vuitton outlet online, kate spade outlet online, michael kors outlet online, tiffany jewelry, christian louboutin shoes, kate spade handbags, ray ban outlet, burberry outlet online, longchamp outlet online, michael kors outlet online, burberry outlet online, coach purses, christian louboutin outlet, coach outlet, nike air max, longchamp outlet, longchamp handbags, polo ralph lauren, louboutin shoes, prada outlet, oakley vault, coach outlet store online, ray ban sunglasses, jordan shoes, coach outlet, oakley sunglasses, cheap oakley sunglasses, gucci handbags, michael kors outlet store, polo ralph lauren outlet, louis vuitton outlet, red bottom shoes, chanel handbags, prada handbags, louis vuitton outlet

oakleyses said...

nike trainers, lululemon outlet, instyler ionic styler, uggs outlet, giuseppe zanotti, mont blanc pens, longchamp, nike huarache, abercrombie and fitch, new balance outlet, marc jacobs outlet, ugg, vans outlet, barbour, nfl jerseys, hollister, chi flat iron, bottega veneta, beats headphones, ugg outlet, north face outlet, ghd, p90x workout, soccer shoes, reebok shoes, uggs on sale, north face jackets, jimmy choo shoes, babyliss pro, soccer jerseys, roshe run, wedding dresses, abercrombie and fitch, herve leger, ferragamo shoes, valentino shoes, asics shoes, birkin bag, nike roshe, mac cosmetics, insanity workout, ugg soldes, rolex watches, mcm handbags, celine handbags

oakleyses said...

timberland shoes, hollister clothing, converse shoes, karen millen, moncler, louboutin, juicy couture outlet, air max, ray ban, wedding dress, moncler, parajumpers outlet, canada goose uk, hollister, montre femme, supra shoes, converse, canada goose, toms outlet, canada goose outlet, gucci, canada goose pas cher, coach outlet, nike air max, iphone 6 case, canada goose outlet, canada goose, vans, canada goose outlet, oakley, moncler, moncler, ugg, lancel, ralph lauren, hollister canada, baseball bats, juicy couture outlet, louis vuitton canada, moncler, replica watches, canada goose, moncler outlet, moncler, ugg boots, uggs canada