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From the Editor
There was a moment there in 1990 when it looked as if the opportunity to do things differently, to use the world's resources and ingenuity to do something more creative than sabre rattling, was almost undeniable. But our political leaders and the arms industry that obscenely influences them have quickly lapsed into their old patterns in 1991 once again “the only answer” is war. We are addicted to (high energy consumption): just walk by the wall of flashing lights on Honest Ed's about 1 a.m. if you need a feeling for how far we are from being a conserver society. Recently the city lined the trees down a major street near here with Christmas lights which will apparently glow all night, all year round. But we couldn't find any better solution than bloodshed to resolve a dispute over control of oil fields and the economic wealth that goes with them. Sure, we gave sanctions a chance. But our need to see almost instantaneous results wasn't met so we decided to unleash the military machine instead. Now we have oil spilling into the Persian Gulf creating a slick that may yet set the bleak record for the world's largest. As well, word is that bomb-flattened chemical plants may also be releasing toxic clouds over Kuwait and Iraq. Military planners assure us that these emissions are “thinly dispersed” and present no danger; this from the people who brought you Agent Orange. And all we can think to do is more bombing and blame shifting. This bloody conflict says a great deal about how we as a society think: How are we going to come to grips with natural systems that run in thousand-year cycles if we can't wait more than four months for a problem to be sorted out? Forests created over thousands of years are not going to be saved by a society that can't see past the year’s end. If we remain filled with arrogance and impatience, we will never get off the path we are on the one leading to the destruction of not just one country, but of the entire planet. From Green Living, the urban guide to the environment, Feb/Mar/91 issue (CX5074)
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