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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
For the sake of life on Earth, we must put a limit on wealth
2019-09-20
[Guardian] It is not quite true that behind every great fortune lies a great crime. Musicians and novelists, for example, can become extremely rich by giving other people pleasure. But it does appear to be universally true that in front of every great fortune lies a great crime. Immense wealth translates automatically into immense environmental impacts, regardless of the intentions of those who possess it. The very wealthy, almost as a matter of definition, are committing ecocide.

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from a worker at a British private airport. "I see things that really shouldn’t be happening in 2019," he wrote. Every day he sees Global 7000 jets, Gulfstream G650s and even Boeing 737s take off from the airport carrying a single passenger, mostly flying to Russia and the US. The private Boeing 737s, built to take 174 passengers, are filled at the airport with around 25,000 litres of fuel. That’s as much fossil energy as a small African town might use in a year.

Where are these single passengers going? Perhaps to visit one of their superhomes, constructed and run at vast environmental cost, or to take a trip on their superyacht, which might burn 500 litres of diesel an hour just ticking over, and which is built and furnished with rare materials extracted at the expense of beautiful places.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that when Google convened a meeting of the rich and famous at the Verdura resort in Sicily in July to discuss climate breakdown, its delegates arrived in 114 private jets and a fleet of megayachts, and drove around the island in supercars. Even when they mean well, the ultrarich cannot help trashing the living world.
Posted by:Besoeker

#10  Dron, exactly. But, to be a good communist, you must be willing to commit armed robbery. And, if the victim resists, well...that's too bad.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2019-09-20 14:37  

#9  Immense wealth translates automatically into immense environmental impacts

No it doesn't. That you see The Royalty get together and make rules for you that they do not have to obey is a start.

What you miss, is when you all get together in your editorial meetings and decide coming publications, especially those centered around the board's social agendas, you are doing the same thing. The difference is you're just poor.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2019-09-20 13:07  

#8  "At some point, you've made enough money."

Just not us leftists!
Posted by: Raj   2019-09-20 12:07  

#7  This piece screamed George MonIdiot.
Stupidest writer at Al-Guardian - which is saying a lot.
Posted by: Lex   2019-09-20 12:04  

#6  Backwards, as usual. It is not a coincidence that the worst environmental conditions are in third world nations. Even communist nations with the pretense of being industrialized were environmental nightmares.
Posted by: ruprecht   2019-09-20 08:05  

#5  Yes Dron, but don't forget all three pillars of socialism

1. Thou shall covet
2. Thou shall bear false witness
3. Thou shall steal

..then you begin to understand their fondness for the Islamics.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2019-09-20 07:34  

#4  But curiously Guardian writers are exempt.
Posted by: Herb McCoy    2019-09-20 07:20  

#3  Just give it to me. Problem solved.
Posted by: Uleck Spererong9442   2019-09-20 07:01  

#2  'πšƒπš‘πš˜πšž πšœπš‘πšŠπš•πš πš—πš˜πš 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚝 πšπš‘πš’ πš—πšŽπš’πšπš‘πš‹πš˜πšžπš›'𝚜 πš‘πš˜πšžπšœπšŽ, πšπš‘πš˜πšž πšœπš‘πšŠπš•πš πš—πš˜πš 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚝 πšπš‘πš’ πš—πšŽπš’πšπš‘πš‹πš˜πšžπš›'𝚜 πš πš’πšπšŽ, πš—πš˜πš› πš‘πš’πšœ πš–πšŠπš—πšœπšŽπš›πšŸπšŠπš—πš, πš—πš˜πš› πš‘πš’πšœ πš–πšŠπš’πšπšœπšŽπš›πšŸπšŠπš—πš, πš—πš˜πš› πš‘πš’πšœ 𝚘𝚑, πš—πš˜πš› πš‘πš’πšœ 𝚊𝚜𝚜, πš—πš˜πš› πšŠπš—πš’ πšπš‘πš’πš—πš πšπš‘πšŠπš πš’πšœ πšπš‘πš’ πš—πšŽπš’πšπš‘πš‹πš˜πšžπš›'𝚜.' - π™ΆπšŠπš†π™³
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-09-20 06:29  

#1  "And to achieve this, you must put me in charge!"
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-09-20 01:49  

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