Winds of Change Blowing, but Resistance Gusting

This is an abridged article by Christopher Hume, from Toronto Star of 28 November 2008.





Suddenly, it seems the future has come to Toronto.


Whether we're talking about wind turbines in Lake Ontario, fees for plastic bags, garbage levies, bans on bottled water or fully recyclable coffee cups, Torontonians are having hard time adjusting to the realities of the 21st century.


As tough as change may be, there's no longer any choice.


Isn't that the lesson of the environmental crisis, global warming, not to mention the current economic meltdown? Isn't that the inescapable conclusion of everything we have been told for the past few decades?


The collapse has happened; we have no alternative but to reinvent our world. And if not our world, certainly our cities.


Yet, a good many of us prefer things just the way they are. Change is good, they say, as long as it means we don't have to do anything differently. Convenience? Unfortunately, the problem for those of us who live in developed countries such as Canada is that convenience is no longer convenient.