Sunday 11 December 2016

Recycling

- What makes you think so? I asked the journalist sitting next to me. It was approaching Christmas, and we were working for sibling companies. He as a financial journalist, me as a software developer. As is not all too uncommon when it comes to me I had led the conversation onto environmental politics. He had just explained to me that he believed that if only the poorer countries would become as rich as the rich, our environmental problems would solve themselves.

- I mean, all statistics point towards richer countries actually polluting more than poorer ones. I offered, as no answer came.

- Well, I'm not sure. But I don't believe that recycling makes a difference he finally answered.

I was baffled. His strong belief had no ground. What further was, he didn't believe in the few concrete things that he as a private person could do. What made this person believe that we westerners would somehow intrinsically leave a smaller imprint on the environment? I didn't find out then. I probably never will find out.