On the other hand, researchers found the public is not suffering from a comprehensive ethical breakdown. The great majority of consumers, some 94 per cent, revealed some awareness of what Lovelock has called 'the ineluctable consequences of destruction', and therefore 'aim to behave in an environmentally friendly manner themselves'. An understandable approach when you think how many times politicians, eager to delegate an unpopular task, have reminded the public that with climate change, every little really and truly helps.

Events in Crewe and Nantwich illustrate the difficulties of politicians intent on doing anything, such as carbon-taxing to avert catastrophe since a) no one really believes it's coming, b) they'll be dead anyway, c) the recession has left them much too fearful and poor to care, and d) they won't vote for anyone who tries to make them.

First lie: every little bit helps. Truth: growth is the problem, and with 7 billion people, the acts of those in the UK are minimal in impact. The real issue is land use and resource consumption, including renewable resources like wood, food, water, etc.

Second lie: that obsessively tightening faucets, replacing lightbulbs and buying green undies has much of an effect. Truth: most of the damage done by industrialized lifestyles is caused by infrastructure: roads, transportation, cops, firefighters, gov't, military, etc.

Third lie: no one cares any longer. Truth: they care only when it is presented to them as a do or die option, because otherwise, they're given the option to sleep through this issue in comfortable denial -- and they'll take it.

CORRUPT urges you to post a comment and let them know that these three principles outweigh the simplistic lies.