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Originally Posted by Makarov
Well, okay, I don't really know what that means in the context of the current discussion? Are per-capita measurements of waste or pollution production useful? If not, how would you propose that we measure (so that we can hopefully address the issue of over-production)? I guess I just really don't understand what you are advocating for?
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My point is this: If this is an environmental discussion, then per capita is meaningless. We have one environment, not one environment for every country. It's the global creation that is at issue.
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Pardon me? I am definitely NOT arguing that "a smaller geographical area creates less total waste than a larger one". That is an absurd statement (I'm amazed that you think it is something that is obviously true ["Well, duh"]). Land does not generate waste. People do. This is why, for example, the island of Manhattan produces millions of times more waste than the entire Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada.
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You are one trying to draw lines between the waste creation of a separate Alberta vs. the entirety of Canada as if that is significant. So tell me, do you or do you not think less total waste is generated within Alberta's borders vs. that of Canada as a whole?
I like your new argument though. Higher population areas produce more waste than lower population areas. Cool. You use Manhattan vs. Yukon as an example. I'll actually agree here and use China vs. Canada.
Actually, better yet, lets use Canada vs. the United States since both are in this story, so have apples to apples measurements. If Canada reduced it's per-capita waste creation by 20%, but the US reduced its by 5%, which is doing more for the environment?
The answer is: the US. By far.
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As I previously posted, if a proposed international solution to over production of waste (or pollution) is to succeed, it will have to be regarded as fair and just (or else other states will not sign on).
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Yes, fair economically. Which is my other point: this isn't an environmental debate. It's an economic one wrapped in the veneer of environmental legitimacy.