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Consumerism In India

Tony

Penultimate Amazing
Tony
Joined
Mar 5, 2003
Messages
15,410
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3492610.stm ...full article


India's fast-growing consumer class has fired a competitive need towards over-consumption amongst people in the country, a leading psychologist says.
According to Dr Achal Bhagat, the country's economic boom has meant a new obsession has arisen amongst the middle classes to "keep up with the Joneses".
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Is all this gloom and doom a real threat or is it just environmental blowhards doing what they do best: fear mongering?
 
Tony said:
Is all this gloom and doom a real threat or is it just environmental blowhards doing what they do best: fear mongering?
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Well, I'd like to have seen more data, but I can testify that the Indian Middle Class (which would still be relatively poor by US Standards) is now well over 100 Million, and they are looking for the good life...and India can get some damn hot at times, so AC would be most welcome in many Indian homes.

Add that the Indian Government, especially at the local level, is not the most honest bunch on the planet and that enforcement of enviornmental laws, such as there are, are haphazard at best, then yes, there is some justification for the article. Is it gloom and doom, however? I'd need more statistics for that.

Add also the consumer boom with the newly evolving middle class in China...much the same story as India.
 
Tony said:
Is all this gloom and doom a real threat or is it just environmental blowhards doing what they do best: fear mongering?
Click to expand...

What's the moral of the story? Keep them poor for the good of the planet? :rolleyes:
 
Re: Re: Consumerism In India

Hutch said:


Well, I'd like to have seen more data, but I can testify that the Indian Middle Class (which would still be relatively poor by US Standards) is now well over 100 Million, and they are looking for the good life...and India can get some damn hot at times, so AC would be most welcome in many Indian homes.

Add that the Indian Government, especially at the local level, is not the most honest bunch on the planet and that enforcement of enviornmental laws, such as there are, are haphazard at best, then yes, there is some justification for the article. Is it gloom and doom, however? I'd need more statistics for that.

Add also the consumer boom with the newly evolving middle class in China...much the same story as India.
Click to expand...

What's the problem with AC?
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Consumerism In India

Contributes to global warming.

So don't use one.
 
Re: Re: Consumerism In India

Abdul Alhazred said:


What's the moral of the story? Keep them poor for the good of the planet? :rolleyes:
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No. Nice strawman.

The issue is that the modern, western lifestyle is unsustainable in itself. The more people that live it, the sooner we reach the crunch point. The issue is that we need to develop a comfortable, modern lifestyle that can be sustained. It isn't that hard to do, just impossible to achieve without the backing of vested interests. Just look at what happened to Kyoto.
 
Re: Re: Re: Consumerism In India

a_unique_person said:


No. Nice strawman.

The issue is that the modern, western lifestyle is unsustainable in itself. The more people that live it, the sooner we reach the crunch point. The issue is that we need to develop a comfortable, modern lifestyle that can be sustained. It isn't that hard to do, just impossible to achieve without the backing of vested interests. Just look at what happened to Kyoto.
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I'll try to destrawmanify it: Keep us all poor for the good of the planet?

The solution is to figure out a way to make modern comfort sustainable.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Consumerism In India

Mr Manifesto said:


Contributes to global warming.
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That must be why New York had record breaking winter temps. All the AC.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Consumerism In India

Tony said:


That must be why New York had record breaking winter temps. All the AC.
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Maybe you should read about the effects of global warming before you shoot your mouth off. It might save some embarassment.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Consumerism In India

Mr Manifesto said:


Maybe you should read about the effects of global warming before you shoot your mouth off.
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I have read the effects. If it's too hot, it's global warming. If it's too cold, it's global warming. You guys have it covered.
 
If there are significant regional climate changes, that's global warming, even if the change isn't itself a warming.

Don't be facile, please.
 
Wrath of the Swarm said:
If there are significant regional climate changes, that's global warming, even if the change isn't itself a warming.

Don't be facile, please.
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The Ice Ages were global warming?
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Consumerism In India

a_unique_person said:


I think that was what I said.
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Perhaps we agree after all. But the original post concentrated on India, and I don't think that's fair.
 
Wrath of the Swarm said:
If there are significant regional climate changes, that's global warming, even if the change isn't itself a warming.

Don't be facile, please.
Click to expand...

It depends on the region. If the polar icecaps expand like during the last ice age, it probably isn't global warming.

However, I am familiar with the hypothesis that general global warming will disrupt the gulf stream and freeze Europe while melting the polar icecaps.

The downside is that Europe will have to burn more oil. :p

The upside is that oil tankers will be able to dock in the oil producing regions of the Arctic Ocean coast of Alaska. :p :D

A serious answer: Nuclear electricity and the hydrolysis of seawater.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Consumerism In India

Wrath of the Swarm said:
Kill off 90% of the population.
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.....and thank you for that, Mr. Ras Al Ghul (one beatup Egyptian pound for you at the next TAM if you can identify the person without Googling) :wink: :)
 
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