We have the power

Dear all

Letter in 2 October 2014 Cape Times.

Regards

David

Dear Editor

Your editorials 

​"Global warning" and "Climate crunch" (September 30) 

refer.

In February 2009, I attended a keynote address at a 

​co

nference in the US where the late Dr Hermann Scheer of the German 

​go

vernment, and the father of Feed

​-​

In

​-​

Tariffs in Germany, said that no government has ever changed anything technologically, of its own accord: "Which technological revolution happened because of a global treaty? None."

He was referring to all the Conference of Parties (COP) annual conferences, global climate change talks, global inter-government climate related treaties, etc

​etera​

. COP20 happens this year. How much has changed in 20 years?

People are marching all over the world demanding that governments change.

But there is a much easier way, which doesn't damage property, and which doesn't threaten society due to these mass demonstrations: 

​we c

onsumers must change our buying habits and only buy from organisations which are clean and "green", which care about the environment, which offer recycling services, which don't take shortcuts in their interaction with nature, which sustains us all, and which make their own clean electricity, or which buy green electricity.

And if there is nothing to buy, we consumers must just stop buying and make alternative arrangements

​ -​

 for example

​,​

 doing that age old thing of working with our neighbours and/or communities to make or grow what we need.

This simple change will dramatically change the way consumers interact with our suppliers; and the way that suppliers interact with us customers

​. A

nd when big business goes to government and says

​,​

 "

​W​

e need this law changed to allow us to fit into this new way of thinking (paradigm)", then governments will change.

Yours faithfully,

David Lipschitz