Jet-setting greens
"They sit in economy class occasionally wiping their clammy hands. Their eyes dart furtively about. They wonder whether the stewardess or passenger next to them might have become suspicious. Some even grow moustaches or beards -- to cover the 'giveaway' sweating top lip," Peter C. Glover writes at www.tcsdaily.com.
"But they are not terrorists. At least not in the modern sense of wanting to blow up the airplanes they travel in. Far from it, for they love nothing more [than] the sense of self-importance international jet-setting offers. Traveling that delivers them in far-flung destinations where they can evangelize their ascetic ordinances to thousands of fellow worshippers. But while travelling their chief fear is that they will be found out. Who they are, what they preach -- and expose their moralistic hypocritical behavior," Mr. Glover said.
"They are the Green Bigots, leading environmentalists, those at the vanguard of the fight to change our lifestyles, restrict our foreign flights, who insist we do our 'bit' to cut greenhouse gas emissions while they rack up thousands of airmiles on business and pleasure trips.
"As the UK's The Sunday Times has recently revealed, 'In the past year the directors and chief executives of groups such as WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Soil Association have crisscrossed the globe, visiting the Falklands, Japan, Africa and Brazil.' The ST's environment editor points out, 'All are running high-profile campaigns to persuade people to change their lifestyles and cut emissions of carbon dioxide.'
"The article identifies a number of well-known examples. They included Bob Napier, chief executive of WWF, who through jetting to various destinations in Asia, the Americas and Europe helped generate more than 11 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) last year."</b > |
