Instead of persisting that people cannot understand their own hypocrisies...

... why don't we culturally shift the problem of gaining resources and valuable global commodities from other particular substances in a different location?

QUOTE: "Lake baikal is a lake of superlatives. It is not only the deepest and the oldest lake on earth, but also holds an unbelievable amount of fresh water. Its water could sup- ply the world’s population with drinking wa- ter for half a century. although Lake baikal is remote and far away from the industrial centers of the world, it is not unaffected by global climate change. Indeed, the tempera- ture of its crystal-clear surface waters is increasing. a rise of 1.2 °C over the past 50 years may sound little, but it could be too much for the unique ecosystem of the lake that has evolved under very stable condi- tions over millions of years.
There are over 1500 animal species living in the lake, two thirds of which are endemics.
“That is one of the things that makes Lake baikal so interesting for us as research- ers” explains Dr. Maxim Timofeyev from the baikal research Center in Irkutsk. “Why do these endemics only occur here and why are the species normally found at these lati- tudes absent? We assume that the endem- ics are simply better adapted to the very specific conditions of Lake baikal, but not to other water bodies.” russian scientists together with their German colleagues want to find out whether or not the specialized species here still have an advantage over the generalists in the face of climate change. In the Labeglo-project (lake baikal and biological effects of global change) biolo- gists from the uFZ, the university of Leipzig, the alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine research (aWI) as well as the baikal research Center and the university of Irkutsk are working together. The project is funded by the Helmholtz association and the russian Foundation for basic research.
While the russian biologists contribute data from decades of ecological surveys, both russian and German partners use state-of- the-art laboratory techniques for genetic and physiological studies at the uFZ and at the aWI. “Taxonomic and ecological aspects of the baikalean species that we investigate have been thoroughly studied, but very little is still known about their genetics. The use of high-tech could provide us with complete- ly new insights”, reports Dr. Till Luckenbach from the uFZ. One can’t help but notice that the cell biologist who spent several years in the uSa as a researcher is buzzing with ex- citement – the kind of excitement that takes a hold of researchers when they get the chance to discover a missing piece from a scientific puzzle. Luckenbach is interested in cellular changes evoked by chemicals in the environment. Cells have developed various mechanisms to protect themselves against chemicals or other environmental stressors, but some species lost the ability to defend themselves as they evolved. arctic fish, for example, are lacking a particular protein, which keeps cells intact when the water temperature rises. “We assume that many of the endemic species are highly adapted to the extremely constant environmental conditions of Lake baikal with exceptionally clean water and little temperature fluctua- tions and that these species have therefore simply lost the ability to tolerate tempera- ture changes and organic pollutants.” The changes that the lake is experiencing are not only a rise in water temperature but also increasing levels of nutrients and man- made chemicals in the water. One source of chemicals in the lake is the notorious pulp mill near baikalsk. Furthermore, a change in land use in Mongolia, whose northwest river
catchment area flows into Lake baikal, also contributes to the problem.
To examine potential consequences of these environmental changes for the endemic baikalean fauna more closely, the scientists perform studies with Eulimnogammarus ver- rucosus – a small, bluish-green freshwater amphipod that is endemic to this uNeSCO world natural heritage and with its relative, Gammarus lacustris, that lives in waters in the entire northern part of eurasia – with the exception of Lake baikal. Freshwater amphipods make up a large proportion of the entire biomass of Lake baikal, inhabit different environments of the lake ranging from close to the shore to great depths and constitute an important part of the food chain. Can the baikalean endemics cope with the current environmental changes or will they allow amphipods that are other- wise ubiquitous in the northern hemisphere to conquer Lake baikal? Should fears ring true, the specialist species in Lake baikal will be replaced by its extremely adaptable relatives. but until that time E. verrucosus (a species previously only known to special- ists) still has the chance to get into the his- tory books of ecotoxicology. It could provide important basic knowledge about the risks that climate change and chemicals can have on the ecosystems of our planet, because this double stress will also apply to other
organisms elsewhere.
Tilo Arnhold" QUOTE

Some incredible balanced budget is NOT NEEDED AS BAD AS WE THINK. Maybe communication and culture can regard the resource of water rather than oil in Northern Alberta or Saudi Arabia?