Small Tornado in London

[Robert Vermaat]

This happened in South America, in Eastern Europe, I expect it also for China in the long run.

I wouldn't be so sure about China not being able to maintain its iron grip. The transition to a free market in Eastern Europe couldn't have been more different to China's where the Party kept an iron grip on dissent and protest, carefully managing the economy unlike their counterparts elsewhere in the world.

True, but if China (as some fear) truly wants do dominate world economy and foreign nations by becoming that economic superpower, they can't do that from inside China. Chinese will have to start working abroad in massive numbers. And as soon as that happens, they will start wanting different things.
Also, China has only very very recently seen civil unrest about wages and stuff like that. I foresee a Korean-like development there,leading to the levelling of at least some economic differences, namely cheap Chinese labour becoming less cheap. India will hopefully follow Korea and Taiwan somewhat sooner. And as soon as labour is not that much cheaper anymore, work might not have to be done there anywmore.

Now we have to face two options:

India and China already know well enough the devastating effects of the 'new climate' in terms of freak weather, and what it can cost their economies. They will understand, sooner than we did, that 'business as usual is not the way forward. And even if they may not yet act on it, it's just a matter of time before they will.

1) They are so intelligent to quickly understand that the future of their business and their complete success passes through sustainableness
2) They don't understand that and blackmail us by environment matter to pretend a high bill in return for their care of reducing pollution
In the first case the planet could be save for a while, but they will become so powerful that...
In the second case we are f****d

Since the problems are costing them milliuons if not billions each year already I can assure you that both countries have already realised that... Both have vast stretches of coastal plains that will vanish a lot sooner than The Netherlands or even Venice! Well, Venice and Bangladesh can be compared... :? Do you have relatives in the Po valley? Best tell them to move within the next 10 years, that area might beecome Europe's Bangladesh soon....

I hope. If not, we in Europe (or the Old World as were now called) should prepare to earn our income from our internal market and tourism.

Absolutely true again, and we will become the cultural vacations place for them, like they were (and are yet) for us. So that's the destiny of my Italia, for example? No more industries, agriculture, research? Just restaurants, hotels, museums? And waiters? It could be sad...

Have we not treated the rest of the world any different over the past 200 years? We invented mass tourism! You think the s.x industry of southeast Asia would exist without us westerners? I truly can't imagine a sadder and more inhuman form of slavery when you have to sell your children to tourists for small change just so you can keep feeding the rest of them...
I dread to think our grandchildren might suffer that fate, and I don't think it will happen, but some would call that justice for our past 200 years of arrogance..

ALL THE MORE REASON TO CHERISH OUR ROMAN PAST!!!!!

500% agreed, but just for tourism? What a waste!

Waste? How so? Tourism is the most single economic force that has led us to preserve our ancient remains! Walls were broken down to make room for modern cities, other remains have been levelled for parking lots and housing - only when there's a chance of tourism they are saved! Tourism must not be underestimated, some nations base their national income on it!

Another change that might save us is the environment itself. Fossil fuels are getting scarcer by the day, and oil is harder to find then ever. Rising fuel prices will mean rising transport prices, whhich will beciome as serious threat to current world trade (yes I know, fresh flowers being transported from The Netherlands by plane :!: to New York markets that same day is luxury beyond reason!!!), and to Asian products being sold cheaply here. Not all that good for our wallet, but some jobs may not transfer to China!