The United States climate delegation negotiating a Kyoto successor in Bangkok has suggested the U.S. will be unable to provide funds to poor nations [ark | more\ark] fighting global warming because of worsening economic conditions, but may be able to provide loans. So after decades of booming economies and growth in emissions in the rich countries, developing countries are now left in the lurch, even as the rich super predatory consumers seek to maintain their high levels of consumption for a wee bit longer. This has been described as “the moral equivalent of having someone drive a car into your house and offering you a loan to pay for the damages.”

The Earth is in real danger from a global heating meltdown as action is delayed over concerns about price and as a skeptic lead public backlash continues to grow. Recently I wrote a personal essay entitled Economic Collapse and Global Ecology where I noted “sufficient climate policies enjoy political support only in times of rapid economic growth. Yet this growth is the primary factor driving greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental ills.” Therein I academically investigated the possibility that in terms of prospects for the Earth and humanity it may be better for the economy to collapse now rather than later.