Denying Problems When We Don’t Like the Solutions (perhaps somewhat off-topic)

[OKIsItJustMe]

13. I’m sorry… do you expect to turn a battleship on a dime?

One of the measures we like to use around here are carbon emissions.

Here’s a handy chart:

Assuming that by nature, we as individuals consume more and more, how is it that some of us are producing less CO[font size="1"]₂[/font] than we were ten years ago?

Well the obvious answer is that we must be using much more clean energy. It's all of those windmills and solar panels! (Right?) Well, no, I don’t think that’s it. Energy use per capita looks quite similar.

It must be the economic downturn!

Wow! No, apparently it’s not that! Emissions are actually going down -vs- GDP!

Unfortunately, these graphs are limited to a few nations, and over a limited period of time. However, it does tend to show that (contrary to your article of faith) some of us actually are able to consume less over time.

Perhaps we aren’t quite the Malthusian rabbits you make us out to be!?