Noam Chomsky says what Elizabeth May should have said this election
Instead of concerns about politeness, Elizabeth May should have spearheaded a campaign for renewable energy and real retrofitting. Instead, Noam Chomsky gives a clear description of why North American economy is focused on fossil fuel the way it is.
"Another component of any reasonable approach-and everyone agrees with this on paper-is to develop sustainable energy, green technology. We all know and everyone talks a nice line about that. But if you look at what's happening, green technology is being developed in Spain, in Germany, and primarily China. The United States is importing it. In fact, a lot of the innovation is here, but it's done there. United States investors now are putting far more money into green technology in China than into the U.S. and Europe combined. There were complaints when Texas ordered solar panels and windmills from China: It's undermining our industry. Actually, it wasn't undermining us at all because we were out of the game. It was undermining Spain and Germany, which are way ahead of us."
http://isreview.org/issues/76/feat-chomsky.shtml
it's true! This is what many people, chomsky included, have been talking about for a few years now. Thanks to lobbying and big payouts by the old industries, we've propped up dying environmentally destructive industries instead of investing in producing the next generation of renewable energy sources and products.
money talks, and in the west, it's the big ol' polluting industries that have the money...and they'll do anything to maintain their status as privileged and highly subsidized. Even if it means we're screwed later on. The sad thing is, in china the power used to produce these things is made by largely coal fired plants so by the time these technologies become mainstream it will most likely be too late for them to make any difference.
Chomsky is also participating in a documentary series featured at The Nation on climate change and peak oil.
http://www.thenation.com/article/157434/peak-oil-and-changing-climate