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OT: Plebiscite 24-Jun-2011 At 8:53:43 AM Gavo

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Im with Wendy on the idea that the "people will lose their jobs" idea is weak. I certainly would rather no-one lost their jobs, that is not my point so please dont make like it is...

But my opinion is simply that if someone is in an industry that is excessively polluting (or otherwise detrimental), and we have a better solution, then the industry needs to stop. A bunch of people were employed in Asbestos processing and product-manufacture... perhaps a bad example because their skills were probably easily transferred to a similiar process, but I am sure there are no shortage of examples on industries that have been (or some that should be) shut down, people will lose their jobs, but Im afraid, it happens.

We cant just keep on doing something destructive or harmful because people work in that field.

Actually, fishing might be a decent example... The Atlantic Cod fished mostly from Newfoundland, Canada. The quotas and management of the fishing was not very regulated and for a few centuries these were fished. As technology developed, efficiency of catching the fish increased dramatically and then in the early 90's they realised there are practically none left. Canada declared a moratorium on fishing of the cod, and it affected many thousands... they were understandably upset.. but what was the other option? They would have gotten a few more years out of fishing them, perhaps... but with levels less than 1% of earlier stock levels, it would not have lasted long.

My point, which I am sure I did not make well because Im still asleep, is that these fisherman were livid to say the least. But I think the government did the right thing eventually... continuation of the fishing would have resulted in extinction of the fish. No hope of fishing it in the future and unknown ecological effects. Im not discussing what else the fishermen might have moved on to, or how the government failed in its initial regulation of fishing prior to the moratorium... but when the assessment was made that this fishing was not sustainable and was detrimental, it stopped, at the cost of many jobs unfortunately. But the alternative might have been worse.

If we are doing something now that is really ruining the planet and we have better ways of doing it, I think we should be obligated to take the more sustainable approach.