[Paleopsych] [Fwd: Fears For A Finite Planet - The Climate Crisis]

Wed Feb 16 19:48:59 UTC 2005

I always considered the ability to perceive time into the future and 
past as one of the evolving capacities of brains. It seems to me that we 
can plan/analyze things ahead and back thus not living only "in the 
moment". (An ability that sometimes is detrimental to the enjoyment of 
life, I must say.) And this planning/analyzing involves emotional and 
rational responses to imagined future events and past experiences.

There is certainly an interplay between the time into the future or past 
and the intensity/type of emotion felt and motivation to act. If the 
event is ocurring right now, you have maximum emotional and rational 
involvement - immediate danger - and action is taken. However, if the 
event is in the future the involvement is lower and action might not be 
taken. That is, until the event reaches a treshold in future time 
(2065?) when action seems necessary.

Business, which are made up of humans, are based on planning. And our 
economical system seems to be moving more and more towards prediction 
instead of past results. But how much can business plan ahead and be 
profitable? It seems that 2065 is not enough to make businesses consider 
  those effects. 60 years is to much to go into business planing. But 
how much can business predict ahead? 5 years? 10 years? I think the 
longest government bonds are issued at 25 years. Could that be the 
treshold for business action?

Am I making any sense?

Christian

Steve Hovland wrote:

> I suspect people need to see the cost
> as almost immediate.
> 
> Steve Hovland
> www.stevehovland.net
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Christian Rauh [SMTP:christian.rauh at uconn.edu]
> Sent:	Wednesday, February 16, 2005 10:47 AM
> To:	The new improved paleopsych list
> Subject:	Re: [Paleopsych] [Fwd: Fears For A Finite Planet - The Climate Crisis]
> 
> Well, when people give me a 2065 deadline for the cost to get over 
> benefit then things start to get real in my mind.
> 
> Is there any research on how far into the future a cost must be 
> perceived for people to take actions? Maybe in the smoking cessation 
> literature?
> 
> Christian
> 
> Steve Hovland wrote:
> 
> 
>>Another front where the Limbics are
>>starting to gain ground against the
>>Reptilians :-)
>>
>>Steve Hovland
>>www.stevehovland.net
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From:	Christian Rauh [SMTP:christian.rauh at uconn.edu]
>>Sent:	Wednesday, February 16, 2005 10:23 AM
>>To:	Lista Paleopsych
>>Subject:	[Paleopsych] [Fwd: Fears For A Finite Planet - The Climate Crisis]
>>
>>
>>
>>-------- Original Message --------
>>Subject: Fears For A Finite Planet - The Climate Crisis
>>Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 11:50:13 +0000 (UT)
>>From: Medialens Media Alert Precis <noreply at medialens.org>
>>To: Christian Rauh <christian.rauh at uconn.edu>
>>
>>MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media
>>
>>February 16, 2005
>>
>>
>>MEDIA ALERT: FEARS FOR A FINITE PLANET
>>
>>Rampant Corporate Globalisation And The Climate Crisis
>>
>>"Our continuing uneconomic growth makes us complicit in a process that 
>>is triggering an ecological catastrophe for our children and generations 
>>beyond them. They will justifiably sit in judgment on our failure to 
>>have prevented its devastating consequences knowing that we chose to 
>>look the other way." (Mayer Hillman, environmentalist and author)
>>
>>
>>A Fat Cat Laments
>>
>>The audacity of corporate propaganda still has the capacity to make us 
>>gasp. Consider the astonishing attack on nongovernmental organisations 
>>launched at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, by 
>>Sir Digby Jones, director general of the Confederation of Business 
>>Industry. "The pendulum is swinging too far in favour of the NGOs", 
>>Jones claimed. "The World Economic Forum is caving in to them. Davos has 
>>been hijacked by those who want business to apologise for itself."
>>
>>According to Jones, business is the only route to cleaner water, better 
>>healthcare, better education and better roads. "Have I heard that in 
>>Davos? Have I hell. We have heard how we are greedy and how we pollute, 
>>and how we have got to help Africa. But a celebration of business? No."
>>
>>Jones is "fed up with business being characterised as greedy". He goes 
>>on: "Has anybody ever thought about the greed of the consumer? The 
>>consumer consistently wants more for less and business is expected to 
>>deliver it." (Larry Elliott 'CBI chief claims Davos hijacked by NGOs', 
>>The Guardian, January 31, 2005)
>>
>>For the World Economic Forum to be "caving in" under the onslaught of 
>>grassroots groups really must feel like the end of the world to those 
>>who like to shape the planet's affairs in their own narrow interests.
>>
>>But Jones's concern is misplaced. The legal obligation to shareholders 
>>to maximise profits in pursuit of endless economic growth, even as the 
>>finite planet groans, does face a real obstacle. Namely, that the wealth 
>>generated by global capitalism - shared ever more unequally in society - 
>>is rapidly being overtaken by the damage that the system itself is 
>>wreaking. If existing trends continue, the Global Commons Institute 
>>estimates that damages due to climate change will actually exceed global 
>>GDP by 2065. (http://www.gci.org.uk/papers/env_finance.pdf)
>>
>>Global capitalism has an inbuilt death wish that will likely take most 
>>of us with it - if we let it.
>>
>>To read the rest of this alert, please go to:
>>
>>http://www.medialens.org/blog/index.htm
>>
>>Best wishes
>>
>>The Editors
>>
>>
>>To unsubscribe click on the link below:
>>http://www.medialens.org/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/medialens/mailproc/register.cgi?em=christian.rauh@uconn.edu&act=un&at=9
>>
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