The Point

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Ravenous smokestack

A view crossing the Yangtze River in Sichuan Province, China

The New York Times published a brilliant series of written, audio and video pieces this weekend on the costs of the outrageous pace of China's economic growth. It is poignant to see in bold headlines in an American paper the kinds of problems that surround you every day in China but are still minor heresies to complain loudly about.

Chief among these costs, of course, is the nightmarish levels of pollution and environmental degradation, still climbing. A doctor told me that Chengdu, whose air seems alpine by comparison to Beijing, is still so toxic that just breathing is the equivalent of sucking back a pack a day. Some public response is mounting, but where are the strong and powerful voices pushing for change?

Why are we unable to change the way we live until catastrophe strikes (and sometimes not even then)? Many of these crises are forseeable years, even decades before they happen. Why are we unable to plan ahead for the calculable costs of self-destruction?

This slideshow is worth watching just for the music by (evidently Canadian-born) Rasputina cellist Zoe Keating.

Edit: Every time I get burned by linking to that website. Why do I keep forgetting how quickly their free-ness disappears?

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posted by Christopher at 11:43 a.m.

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