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News like this always reminds me of how the Western world polluted the earth and then got snippy when the rest of the world started doing the same on scale. Chi

by Dah00n 3y ago

News like this always reminds me of how the Western world polluted the earth and then got snippy when the rest of the world started doing the same on scale. China, India, North Korea - everyone have equal rights to do this too but I don't think it will happen without a lot of western news articles, hand wringing by experts, talking heads talking, etc. and likely some politics too. I wish we had laws that made sure a fix of future problems (ie. with debris, astronomy, etc.) had to be guaranteed before a launch was allowed. A bit of insight of how new technology often end up causing unintended problems later (or in the case of astronomy, sometimes right away).

sofixa 3y ago
> News like this always reminds me of how the Western world polluted the earth and then got snippy when the rest of the world started doing the same on scale That's a simplification to the point of no sense. The "West" (as someone who grew in "the East" with "the West" being the others, it's weird to me to talk about "the West" with regards to the EU, since my home country is an EU member) doesn't get "snippy" because someone else is doing what they used to do. It's because we have collectively, mostly, realised that those things that were done were terrible, and our morals of today condemn attempts at replicating it. If a Western company was dumping pollution in a river like they used to up until 1960s, you'd get outcry, of course. Germany gets rightfully criticised all the time about their stupid coal policy. Of course there are the people who still have a colonial outlook (those savages polluting my vacation spots!), but that's not the prevailing attitude. It's our planet, of all of us, and it's understandable that developing countries want to develop further; they should be assisted so that development is as sustainable as possible, for their own sake, but also for humanity and the planet as a whole.
- Dah00n 3y ago
  >it's understandable that developing countries want to develop further; they should be assisted so that development is as sustainable as possible, for their own sake, but also for humanity and the planet as a whole. I wholeheartedly agree, but more often than not these countries do not have the technology available or it costs more than older tech. Either they should be allowed to pollute with the old tech and "we" must pollute less to make it up or "we" must pay for/give the technology for free to countries that doesn't have access to it. We could even build it (with no strings attached of course). Pointing fingers at -for example- China or India because of coal power plants while they are struggling to lift millions out of poverty is not helping anyone. In my opinion it is shut up or pay the bill. That includes North Korea, Iran, etc. and as long as we don't do this we have zero rights to criticise.
mcpackieh 3y ago
> News like this always reminds me of how the Western world polluted the earth and then got snippy when the rest of the world started doing the same on scale This claim makes zero sense. Western environmental movements have predominantly focused on reform in western countries and stay relatively mum about others.
- Dah00n 3y ago
  Those are not the only entities that comment on pollution. US, EU, news papers - there are lots of other commentators that point fingers.

by Dah00n 3y ago

sofixa 3y ago

> News like this always reminds me of how the Western world polluted the earth and then got snippy when the rest of the world started doing the same on scale That's a simplification to the point of no sense. The "West" (as someone who grew in "the East" with "the West" being the others, it's weird to me to talk about "the West" with regards to the EU, since my home country is an EU member) doesn't get "snippy" because someone else is doing what they used to do. It's because we have collectively, mostly, realised that those things that were done were terrible, and our morals of today condemn attempts at replicating it. If a Western company was dumping pollution in a river like they used to up until 1960s, you'd get outcry, of course. Germany gets rightfully criticised all the time about their stupid coal policy. Of course there are the people who still have a colonial outlook (those savages polluting my vacation spots!), but that's not the prevailing attitude. It's our planet, of all of us, and it's understandable that developing countries want to develop further; they should be assisted so that development is as sustainable as possible, for their own sake, but also for humanity and the planet as a whole.

Dah00n 3y ago
>it's understandable that developing countries want to develop further; they should be assisted so that development is as sustainable as possible, for their own sake, but also for humanity and the planet as a whole. I wholeheartedly agree, but more often than not these countries do not have the technology available or it costs more than older tech. Either they should be allowed to pollute with the old tech and "we" must pollute less to make it up or "we" must pay for/give the technology for free to countries that doesn't have access to it. We could even build it (with no strings attached of course). Pointing fingers at -for example- China or India because of coal power plants while they are struggling to lift millions out of poverty is not helping anyone. In my opinion it is shut up or pay the bill. That includes North Korea, Iran, etc. and as long as we don't do this we have zero rights to criticise.

mcpackieh 3y ago

> News like this always reminds me of how the Western world polluted the earth and then got snippy when the rest of the world started doing the same on scale This claim makes zero sense. Western environmental movements have predominantly focused on reform in western countries and stay relatively mum about others.

Dah00n 3y ago
Those are not the only entities that comment on pollution. US, EU, news papers - there are lots of other commentators that point fingers.