> If living consuming less and living simply is "absolutely a bad thing" then consuming more and living more complicated lives is absolutely a good thing. I di

> If living consuming less and living simply is "absolutely a bad thing" then consuming more and living more complicated lives is absolutely a good thing. I did not say that. I did however imply that being unable to afford heating (or even being unable to receive heating at all) during winter is absolutely a bad thing, and that's the path Europe is headed towards. Having a high GDP per capita does not mean high environmental damage at all; in fact the opposite is true. Compare how emerging countries generate electricity with how developed countries generate electricity. http://wdi.worldbank.org/table/3.7 http://wdi.worldbank.org/table/3.7