All consumers contribute to global resource-depletion. But to reduce depletion, for instance by ending the nuclear arms-race, is not much thought about. Energy-efficiency is a hot topic, and just warming up. We’re now paying  the price of our environmental-abuse, and identifying the culprit.

Will it be soon enough for mankind to turn from consumer gluttony? Witness overflowing Supermarket food-bank help-yourself bins, including Food-miles items from far away. Net-Zero CO2 pollution, 2050, is aiming to be achieved by increasing home-insulation and more electric cars.

It’s predicted there will soon be 10-times the number of electric cars. No estimates are given for 4x4 SUV gas-guzzlers, and no new source for finding lithium, nor solution to battery-disposal. Another unwise good-idea; “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

Answering Dave Haskell’s letter, seeking assurance that Wind Farms will ‘answer all our prayers’; don’t hold your breath, Dave. If they’re not washed away by flooding due to deforestation, they’re failing to amortise their cost before renewal due after ten years’ service.

UK economy is stretched beyond its limits hosting illegal immigrants, but £31bn of our taxes spent on HMS Dreadnought, a nuclear sub – all dressed up -- with no one to fight, is apparently not considered energy-deficient. Whoever does our accounts should be sacked before we’re bankrupt.

Meanwhile, as world-trade grows, thriving from scavenging like fracking, depleting natural resources is taking mankind another step back to a return of the caveman-stage; mankind’s historic low-point in between our previous civilization-collapse, and this one’s teetering-demise.

Rising crises are caused by increasing environment-abuse, aimed to mitigate public concern over destruction caused by prior environment-abuse. Do the maths; where’s the sense in that?

Building insulation cannot mitigate non-use of homes, left empty during work-hours, while their owners are using oil or electricity to commute, and paying parking-fees while they work.

Covid Lockdown improved energy-efficiency in homes, but at the cost of empty offices, closures of town-centre shops, sandwich-bars, pubs and cafes. When health stealthily broke out again, it was soon back to a ‘new normal’, but with more of the same energy-inefficiency.

Air travel is no longer restricted, the skies are streaked with contrails, which means invisible CO2 pollution is being released into the atmosphere again. Can mankind survive our environmental-abuse with impunity? Science says otherwise!

Will there be another recovery after the final-bell of this civilization’s self-defeat? It will be a far different world than anyone who is now blindly-participating in mindless consumerism, without replenishment -- as though that’s the only purpose we’re on Earth for -- imagines; that’s for sure!

Peter Watson,

Llanteg.