The discussion is beside the point
Alarmist environmentalist warnings/doomsday prophecies aren't doing any of us any good. In fact, their being proved wrong will just cause people to carry on as they were and forget about the whole 'environment thing' (cry wolf, anyone?).
On the other hand, sticking your head in the sand and ignoring everything isn't particularly helpful either.
And let's not get started on just obliterating anything and everything in your path to make the extra buck, errrr, sorry, make that increase shareholder value. Does anyone still believe that greed is good?
So where does all this leave us? You really don't need scientific proof to act in a fair, civilised and responsible way, and to have a little bit of solidarity between different parts of the world and between generations.
Actually, it's remarkably easy:
- Try not to buy stuff that has travelled halfway across the earth
- Eat locally produced food as much as possible
- Conserve energy on general principle; just don't waste it, is all
- Clean up after yourself
- Don't make the other parts of the world pay for your lifestyle
- Don't make future generations pay for your lifestyle: making a mess now and have your kids clean it up just isn't very nice
- Cheap flights ARE too good to be true
- ...
I'm sure that in any given situation anybody with half a mind can figure out what is the, or at least a, right way to act. Spotting what is most clearly wrong is even easier.
Everything has a price, and somebody somewhere is (or will be) paying it. The question is who, and is that right? The answers are there, but of course you have to want to know them.