Charity Climbing Fundraisers Ruining British Mountains (the dangers of caring without thinking)

January 24, 2008 in biodiesel, environment, science, science and society, sustainability
Tags: conflict, conservation, ecology, environment, environmental damage, mountains in Britain

As reported by Robert Booth of The Guardian:

“Groups who attempt to raise money for charity by climbing the highest mountains in England, Wales, and Scotland in one day are blamed for causing environmental havoc … on the three peaks.”

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Two wrongs don’t make “a right”, and neither do 200. This is an unfortunate story, but it helps illustrate that it is not enough to care about the environment- one must be able to make informed and sensible choices in order to help solve environmental problems. Becoming informed is no easy task, however, given the misinformation and confusing messages that are often provided, especially by Federal, State and corporate sources in the US and elsewhere (on, for example, the subject of biofuels such as ethanol from corn). In striking contrast to the more typical messages we hear, the city of Portland, Oregon has developed a rational sustainability plan that includes a critical assessment (and sometimes rejection) of different sources of biofuels. Similar ideas are expressed in the recent draft legislation proposed by the European Union for governing the source of biofuels.

© James K. Bashkin, 2008

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