Follow up to Today's Rex Murphy Show

I was really glad to hear Rex tackle the topic of global warming and what we are willing to do about it.

Towards the end of the show, he was talking to a guest whose name I didn't catch. But I do remember that I was quite disturbed by something he said. It went something like this...

As world leaders (the Western governments), we are responsible for leading the way in reversing the effects of global warming and cleaning up.

I'm not sure if this next part was said or if it was alluded to, but it went something like this...

We can't expect countries like China and India to do this.

This very ethnocentric view is what has gotten us into losing situations like Iraq and Afghanastan. I guess situations where we think we know best, and those who don't agree are savages that need to be taught a lesson.

This speaker also failed to mention that while India and China are huge contributors to this environmental problem, we are the ones who started it.

Our demand for bigger, cheaper, faster has led to mass industry in these countries. Countries where labour and materials are much cheaper than they are here in the west.

We've also created the American dream...the big house, big car, a boat...etc....This is something that people have died trying to acquire...and thus the need for more manufacturing and bigger stores...What the rest of the world doesn't realize is that without the constant, compulsive consumerism, there is actually nothing of substance there.

All of this has led to other very pertinent social issues such as obesity. If you look at other countries, the incidence of obesity is far less than it is here in North America. having travelled to many different countries, I have see that with the invasion of junk food and fast food, obesity is on the rise. All for what, to live the so-called American dream.

Yes, there need to be leaders in eradicating global warming. We can't rely on the governments of the world to do this. Nor can we rely on the west. As inhabitants of planet Earth, we need to take responsibility for this very large problem and act now.