I am reading a very erudite and impressive book on water called "Water: Perspectives, Issues, Concerns". Here is a solid indictment of modern life from it, in one punchy paragraph:
"Large dams are only one aspect or feature of the modern world. It is possible to marshal an impressive array of evidence against dams; but it is equally possible to build up a strong case against other symbols of 'development': coal-burning and nuclear power plants; metallurgical, chemical, hydrocarbon and petrochemical industries and mining complexes; monstrous megalopolises; the exploding number of automobiles; vast networks of railways and highways built by trenching into flood plains, drainage channels, fields, forests and wildlife habitats, and by blasting hillsides and tunnelling through mountains; the onslaught on aquatic life by giant trawlers and whaling vessels; the staggering global trade in oil and the ever-present threat of oil spills and so on. All these are manifestations of a certain conception of 'development' and a related attitude to nature. At the moment it is difficult to see how a change of direction is going to be brought about and possible doom averted."
Discuss.
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