I knew there was a “blame America” line somewhere in Robert Emmons’ otherwise excellent article about overpopulation (“The Failure of COP26,” EW 1/13).
He said, “To be sure, developed nations (America chief among them) consume a majority of the world’s resources,” and, “developing countries, which consume far less, are suffering most from the catastrophic impacts of those enjoying a grosser domestic product.” How’s that?
That’s like saying no one can buy a home in America because Ted Turner owns millions of acres of land. No American uses topsoil or water from Africa, and no home builder uses wood stolen from South American forests — illegal loggers do that. The profits from commodities we purchase overseas are used as those governments see fit and some are very corrupt.
In 1900, petroleum in the Middle East was controlled by sultans, imams and sheiks who had absolute power and granted concessions to British companies. In the 1930s the modest proceeds were split 50/50 with the dictators. In 1960, the emir of Kuwait made $260 million, and he chose, purely at his own discretion, to use two-thirds of that to improve living standards in his kingdom.
Stable societies like Japan are able to purchase whatever they lack. Most “famines” in Africa are caused by warlords who steal food-aid shipments and disrupt commerce and government. “Developing countries” (60 years now?) with too many people create rivers of raw sewage, every known communicable disease, preventable AIDS, etc. American taxpayers, technology, and the Peace Corps are called on every day to fix others’ homemade problems.
Greg Williams
Noti
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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