Environmentalism is well intended but harmful
Friday, April 13, 2007
With a few exceptions, the environmentalists seem to be yearning for life as it was in the Garden of Eden. Anything else is viewed with contempt; coal and nuclear power stations, fertilisers, large scale dams, skyscrapers, DDT to fight malaria, GM seeds, mining, oil companies, 4x4s, airliners, whaling and commercial fishing, firewood, hunting, cattle ranching, cold storage, commercial banks, guns and the military.
It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...