2012: The Year We Did Our Best to Abandon the Natural World

[xchrom]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/01/01


'The indifference of those charged with protecting us and the world in which we live was distilled into a great collective shrug at the Rio+20 Earth Summit in June.' (Photograph: Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images)

It was the year of living dangerously. In 2012 governments turned their backs on the living planet, demonstrating that no chronic problem, however grave, will take priority over an immediate concern, however trivial. I believe there has been no worse year for the natural world in the past half-century.


Three weeks before the minimum occurred, the melting of the Arctic's sea ice broke the previous record. Remnants of the global megafauna – such as rhinos and bluefin tuna – were shoved violently towards extinction. Novel tree diseases raged across continents. Bird and insect numbers continued to plummet, coral reefs retreated, marine life dwindled. And those charged with protecting us and the world in which we live pretended that none of it was happening.

Their indifference was distilled into a great collective shrug at the Earth Summit in June. The first summit, 20 years before, was supposed to have heralded a new age of environmental responsibility. During that time, thanks largely to the empowerment of corporations and the ultra-rich, the square root of nothing has been achieved. Far from mobilising to address this, in 2012 the leaders of some of the world's most powerful governments – the US, the UK, Germany and Russia – didn't even bother to turn up.

[newfie11]

1. Not surprising

"the US, the UK, Germany and Russia – didn't even bother to turn up."


Where do these idiots think their going to live and do they not care about their children.

[phantom power]

2. I'm almost glad they didn't show up, from the standpoint of semiotics.

I've grown sort of weary of watching these people get together every year and pretend to give a shit.

[niyad]

3. depressing but hardly surprising

[PETRUS]

4. Happy New Year anyway...

[xchrom]

5. Happy New year, Petrus! Nt