Here in the UK, if you look out of your window, you are more than likely to see a view that is far less polluted than it used to be. We burn cleaner fuels than 100 years ago, the vehicles are cleaner (just far more of them), and of those industries that still operate in this country - are much more efficient.
The water quality of our rivers and coastal waters are far cleaner than they used to be (often cleaner than pre-industrial era), and life expectancy of the population is higher than ever.
If we were to return to a kind of pre-industrial lifestyle as a population, we would be ill equipped to deal with those pollution and health issues we currently are able to as society can afford to. As has been mentioned, if we care about future generations, we need to maintain a quality of life, and by extension, the means to maintain it. Many of us aspire to a greener liftestyle, but a perspective should be kept as to what we should aspire to.
Those industries that have moved to China/India etc.- some have continued cause horrendous pollution there, and we enjoy the benefits (hmmm), but most have moved there due to cheaper labour.
China is/will improve its pollution controls for a number reasons. These include:
1. Its own well being as a country
2. There is a correlation between pollution control and efficiency, and therefore saving money.
3. Improve its image.
As for resources, while a site runs dry of a resource, others will be found. It is unusual to run out of any natural reource, and the more demand for something, the more its worth it to invest in extracting harder to get at resources. For an excellent read on resources, and why peak oil is not something we should fret about too much, see here:
http://www.juliansimon.org/writings/Ultimate_Resource/[/QUOTE]
i wasn't on about oil... because i hope/expect someone to invent an effective replacement. But i mean things like concrete, iron ore.. the sort of stuff it takes this planet millions of years to produce it, and humans a couple of hundred years to use it all up....
