[greenyes] Living Standards Uber Allis

["Peter Anderson" <anderson@no.address>]

[Putting aside the substance of whether nuclear power is necessary to 
"tackle global warming," I think we need to look at the broader dynamic in 
which Mr. Blair, aligning himself, sideways, with Mr. Bush, is drawing a 
line in the sand barring any action today to avert climatic disruption, no 
matter how necessary, that would change "living standards."  Also put aside 
some of the Amory Lovins similiar pitches from the left that the 
conservation way out of the energy crunch is similarly cost free.

I don't know whether there is a "solution" that is, net, cost free or not. 
Probably no one does, or can know something like that.  What I believe to be 
more overarchingly important is, however, just like Mr. Bush's response to 
how American's should sacrifice after September 11th, by going shopping, is 
that those necessary actions to protect our future are off the table without 
any apparent regard to the real world exigencies we face. That is to say, 
the issue is premature foreclosure of responses that may very turn out to be 
necessary. Imagine if that had been our response to Hitler's invasion of the 
Netherlands, instead of the immediate huckering down with rationing and all 
that which America of that day proudly adopted.

What has happened to us as a people?  Suppose the reality is that there is a 
cost, and, heaven forbid, we had to reduce our household standard of living, 
say, 20% -- which may be how we all lived, perfectly well mind you, in 1975 
(guessing) -- would that really be all that horrible as, in the bigger 
scheme of things, doing what we have to do to preserve a world worth living 
for those who follow us. -- peter]




Blair demands nuclear power to protect high 'living standards'
By Marie Woolf, Chief Political Correspondent
09 May 2005
Tony Blair has ruled out making changes to "living standards" to tackle 
global warming, and is drawing up plans to build a new generation of nuclear 
power stations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions instead.
The Prime Minister has personally endorsed "keeping the nuclear option open" 
and is planning a government statement on a change of policy before the 
summer, in the face of opposition from cabinet ministers, including Margaret 
Beckett, the Secretary of State for the Environment. Mr Blair's decision to 
revive the nuclear agenda was revealed two weeks ago by The Independent 
which reported that Mr Blair's own strategy unit was working on it.
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FOR FULL ARTICLE: 
http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=636853&host=3&dir=58
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