South Park
A Punjab woman I talked with recently told wells in her home district had to be dug deeper and deeper for every year. Historical rivers like Indus and the Yellow River are drying out. Another person I spoke with a few days ago described Bangkok seen still flooded when approaching by flight.
As I understand there are general agreement ("consensus") among climatologists that such increased drought and flooding are driven by human activity, mainly from polluting the atmosphere with greenhouse gases. So the outlook are millions of people have to migrate in the near future to escape evolving uninhabitable areas of Earth, as emissions in fact rise.
Today people in industrialised countries own two times the "things" they owned 30 years ago ( clothes, cars, gadgets, CD's etc.). Inhabitants in these countries remembering the 80s with "Top-Gun", Donna Summers, Benny Hill, baby cham and nerdy glasses probably was satisfied with life also at that time, despite lacking 50% of their stuff. Housing, social security, education, freedom of speech was at the same level if not superior to now.
In 2011 socialist candidates running for presidency "network" in 5 star
hotels, Labour MPs front Rolex watches and Gucci
accessories, social democrat Ministers of Trade BFF food chain oligarchs
Paris Hilton style. In worlds most wealthy country political
spokesmen for economy and energy claim it will be too
expensive to fulfill reductions of industrial greenhouse gas emissions
promised four years ago, despite an all time high 2010 release of CO2 to air.
Policy makers intervene regularly on behalf of the "common good" - recent smoking bans and raise of retirement age could be examples. Prompt acting on UN statements by policy makers also happen. In his opening remarks to the Climate conference last year UN Secretary-General Kim Ban-moon said " the window of opportunity to prevent uncontrolled climate change will soon close ". Children born today come into a realm different from that existing just a decade ago. They will grow up knowing that lack of political will ( from politicians not forced into the job ) in a world aware of the realities brought the world to where it is.
Let us go for prompt action for the common good in Durban.
Above: Cartman and his friends from "South Park" find people pee in the pool -nov. 27 2011