Ecovillages are one solution to the major problems of our time
By OwieCowie
Environmentalist David Suzuki: ‘There’s been a drumbeat of all kinds of weird weather events, and [Canadians] understand that something weird is happening and they really want some action,(CBC) Suzuki said.
He pointed to the destruction of B.C. forests by pine beetles surviving warmer winters and the series of freak storms that devastated Vancouver’s Stanley Park this winter.
Suzuki asked why Canada doesn’t reconsider its spending priorities.
“We don’t hesitate to spend $16 billion a year on defense. What is the likelihood that we’ll go to war or have hostility directed against us? A heck of a lot less than the 90 per cent certainty that humans are causing climate change right now.”
Rather than aim for cuts of five or 10 per cent in greenhouse gas emissions, he challenged the Conservatives to aim for 60 or 70 per cent cuts by 2050.
But Suzuki also said the report is a rallying call to ordinary citizens to make simple lifestyle changes that could curb the global warming threat.
Ecovillages are one solution to the major problems of our time – the planet is experiencing the limits to growth, and our lives are often lacking meaningful content. According to increasing numbers of scientists, we have to learn to live sustainably if we are to survive as a species. The United nations launched its Global Environment Outlook 2000 report, based on reports from UN agencies, 850 individuals and over 30 environmental institutes, concluding that “the present course is unsustainable and postponing action is no longer an option.”
Ecovillages, by endeavoring for lifestyles which are “successfully continual into the indefinite future”, are living models of sustainability, and examples of how action can be taken immediately. They represent an effective, accessible way to combat the degradation of our social, ecological and spiritual environments.
