Jul 3, 2012

An Optimist's Tour of the Future, part 3

It seems the summer and the increasing heat are slowing down our reading pace… Still, here we are! 
We hope you keep enjoying learning about what is going on in different places of the planet that could make our lives in the future better.
Though, like almost with everything, there are different ways to understand challenges, innovation, changes and experiments. For instance, when it comes to global warming, what is your approach? Sceptic, pessimistic, optimistic, hesitant…
Let us know how you see it!

3 comments:

  1. I'm enjoying the book, it is very interesting to have information about different new technologies, even things as simple as managing the countryside differently that apparently has a great impact (I'm talking about the australian example). It is very refreshing to see that all over the world there are people trying to make it happen, and in contrast with the news lately where it seems that the world is about to end.
    However, I'm behind in my reading, because I have been superbusy and then in holidays in Malaysia. There, great country by the way, having visited the depths of the rainforest in Borneo, the spectacular trees and life they have, I'm more convinced than ever, that we have to change. The world needs more respect for its resources, and the fact that the Optimist was accompanying me in the journey, made me think at times, not everything is lost, maybe my grandchildren will be able to visit this rainforest as well. Just to remind you, the rainforest is being cut down in many places in the world, and that is lost forever... so it was good to read that there are really intelligent and brave people out there trying to counter attack.

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  2. I was fascinated by the Australian example. So simple, but at the same time so intelligent... and it works! Most of the time we just need to watch nature and keep things simple.

    But what fascinated me the most is how reluctant people are to changes. I couldn't believe it. Particularly, when you see that it is working for your neighbor. But people prefer to sink because they want to continue to do things like they have always been done.

    I believe climate change is a natural Earth's process and it occurs every 'now and then'. So it might be normal that we are going through one of those cycles. But I also do believe that we are accelerating the process, we are using too many resources and destroying the planet by doing so. Our current way of life is unsustainable.

    This book shows that there are alternatives and people working on how to do things differently, but I suppose it is complicated to fight against what is established (again, the fear to changes) and the powerful companies and politicians that make the most of the current world structure.

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  3. I couldn’t agree more with Arantxa's comment about the fear of change and how seeing something working better next door, we don't learn because we are stuck with how things have always been done. That is actually one of the sentences that I have always had difficulty bearing: "I am doing it this way because it is how I always do it…"

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