Since we banned CFCs and with the bulk of them having worked out of the atmosphere, we should see ozone recovering. If you take a look at this chart, it looks like ozone depletion has bottomed out and is starting on a slow recovery.Digity wrote:the ozone hole
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Min_ozone.jpg
That's a real problem that needs to be dealt with.Digity wrote: ...polluting the oceans.
Yes, it has allowed us humans to thrive. Humans are part of the environment, as I do not see us as separate from it. There are hundreds of millions of Buddhists alive now. That's probably more Buddhists than at any time in recorded history. Our world and environment is impermanent, but it pleases me to see that so many of us have a chance at liberation now. Furthermore, industrialization has given us far more leisure time. Of course, this can also be a bad thing if that time is wasted on worldly pursuits. However, for those who are dedicated to the path, it provides far more time for meditation, the ability to give more dana, and time to volunteer helping others. Whereas in centuries past, much of that leisure time would have been spent in labor struggling to survive.Digity wrote: Can you think of anything from industrialization that has benefited the environment?
I find it to be hubris and foolishness to build vast coastal cities and expect them to last forever. Our coastlines are not static. We have been fortunate that our civilization has emerged in a period of calm and stability during this brief warm interglacial period. If you look at the geological history, this stability is not always the case. We humans have the ability to move, not just ourselves, but to rebuild entire cities elsewhere. In my opinion we should use that ability and build more wisely in the future.Digity wrote: There's also the issue of sea levels. Is that going to be good? If I lived on an island I wouldn't be too happy about that news. Not saying that climate change will be the end of civilization, but I think it'll ultimately lead to more problems than good. Thinking otherwise is probably wishful thinking.