Whole Earth, the Environment, and Nations

While James Lovekock’s Gaia hypothesis might over-emphasise an anthopomorphic view of a closed ecosystem, almost three thousand years after the founding of Rome and the pax romana, we find ourselves in a situation which requires pax universalis and a whole earth policy to allay the effects of greedy optimisation and a lack of admirable foresight.

The environment is both fragile and robust. Moth species can mutate from one colour extreme to the other in short order, insecticide resistance can develop in multiple manners in under fifty years, and the albedo of the planet can dampen temperature fluctuations and the effects of solar anomalies.

The most prevalent form of government in the current era is the representative democracy. Ideally, the inhabitants and citizens of a nation should be able to select those people whom they trust to make decisions of state on their behalf. The school teacher and bank clerk should not be required to research the positions of foreign nations on pollution offset pricing, rather, they should have confidence that their elected representatives will act in a manner consistent with their interests and the interests of the future inhabitants and citizens of that country.

While most countries in the global economy are price-takers, each country maintains a prerogative to present a unique and worthwhile position and opinion. Throwing stones aside, perhaps David could have reasoned with Goliath.

Genetic Engineering and Genetic Islands

We all know the story of Jurassic Park.  An island upon which once extinct creatures are brought back to life in the safety of a geographically isolated region.