But first...
Dulltown, UK: Today's weather will feature: noisy droplets from the gutters, grey clouds scraping the leaves on the tops of the trees, circles growing and then disappearing in the puddles, cats hiding under privet hedges, running blurred window panes, and the gullies gurgling and laughing.
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'I see they are going to have a meeting in Glasgow today.'
'Who are?'
'Some of the world leaders, it's all about the warming.'
'Oh yes, I know... What do you think will happen then?'
'Not much...'
'Oh?... Don't you think they are going to stop it?'
'The warming?'
'Yes.'
'No.'
'Oh?... Why?...'
'Because the wrong people are doing the meeting.'
'The wrong ones?'
'Yes, those leaders, who are attending, they are all politicians.'
'Well, yes, of course, but they do run everything, don't they?'
'Yes, most of them started as business people, who were successful in what they did, and then decided that they'd go into politics to get even more power, fame, and adulation.'
'Adulation?'
'You see, business people know a lot about business, as you'd expect - finance, the markets, industry, selling stuff, buying stuff - and, do you know what their ultimate goal is?'
'No, what is it?'
'Growth... they are constantly measuring growth - they absolutely love it. Growth is precious, for them growth, is a holy thing.'
'Growth, eh?'
'Yes, and do you know what is it that is killing the planet?'
'Is it, growth?'
'It is... Do you know what else these people like?'
'Tell me...'
'Competition. They love competing, they love winning, being the best, the most profitable, consuming more, creating more junk, doing better than the other guy...'
'The other guy?'
'Yes,'
'I see...'
'It's their way of life, it's their world view - their Weltanschauung.'
'Weltanschauung, eh?'
'Indeed! Can you imagine this bunch of egotistical competitive money-grubbing rogues agreeing to cut growth, and to ease off with the consumption?'
'Well, I can't... Are we all screwed, then?'
'I think so...'
'Not very good, is it?'
'No, it isn't...'
'Hey, who do you think we should have in Glasgow, instead?'
'How about, scientists, climatologists, wildlife experts, ecology people, enlightened economists, folk who know about the oceans, the forests, and the ice.'
'The ice?'
'Yes, very soon there won't be much of that around...'
'Why can't these leaders see that?'
'They just can't comprehend something like intensionally slowing down growth - it goes against everything they believe in! They've been wrecking and pillaging the place so long, they can never change.'
'So, look, if we got all these scientists together instead, do you think they could come up with something that would sort it all out?'
'Oh yes... But you still don't get it, do you?'
'Don't I?'
'No, the scientists have all the knowledge, information, and insight, but they don't have any power! Whatever they'd come up with would be rejected straight away by the politicians - too financially painful! The leaders are in charge of it all.'
'Oh...'
'They go along competing with each other, in how little each one actually does about the problem, and the losers in the competition, as usual, have to deal with all the difficult, unpleasant, and unpopular stuff...'
'Bloody ell...'
'And, in the highly unlikely event that the politicians all agreed to the necessary changes, how would they sell that to the poor people back home who voted them into power, that's if they were actually voted in?'
'So, we are all buggered, then?'
'It certainly looks like it...'
'What a pity...'
'Hm...'
'Will you be watching it on TV?'
'No... Will you?'
'No... Not now...'