[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Makarov

Right. So how does this support your position that state-level raw totals are more useful than per capita data?

That's not my position, even if you chose to assign it to me yourself.

My position, as I have now stated multiple times and which you, as you always do, simply choose not to read because it doesn't jive with what you want reality to be, is that environmental issues like this are not a problem artificially contained within borders.

In this hypothetical scenario, the per capita data more accurately reflects the situation on the ground (ie, the per capita waste creation of Albertans would remain relatively unchanged whereas the state-level raw total produced by "Alberta" would be significantly less than the state-level raw total produced by the former "Canada").

You're just re-stating your argument, and I don't see much need to re-state my rebuttal beyond telling you go read my previous posts.

However, seriously, what is your argument here? That a smaller geographical area creates less total waste than a larger one? Well, duh. Your argument, however, neither supports your position nor counters mine. Whether or not Canada is a single country or completely fractures into multiple parts, the actual amount of waste created in each (and the per-capita amount too, for that matter) would be completely unchanged. Alberta creates the same amount of waste as a province of Canada that it would as an independent country. Ten provinces, each as independent jurisdictions create the same amount of waste collectively as Canada would as a whole.

That's the damn point: lines on a map don't change the actual amount of waste being generated.

No, I totally disagree with your characterization "disingenuously to give the appearance that fully developed economies are virtually the entire problem while developing economies with high populations are not." We use per capita data to reflect the fact that people living in states with fully developed economies are indeed the biggest problem. I think that is true. And yes, waste creation in India and China will continue to grow as standards of living continue to rise closer to the standards of living in those states with fully developed economies (again, the two are directly related).

This is precisely why the states with fully developed economies are the ones which need to show leadership on this issue.

And if that is your belief, then you don't actually give a crap about the environment. Your issue is wealth inequality/wealth redistribution. And that's fine. It's a worthy issue to be concerned about. Just don't use the environment as your coatrack.