Stay Married and
Save The Planet
Date:
25-Feb-09
Country:
AUSTRALIA
Author:
James Grubel
A couple share a siesta at the base of
a wall on Manly Beach in Sydney
December 25,
2007.
Photo: Will Burgess |
CANBERRA -
Staying married is better for the planet because divorce leads
the newly single
to live more wasteful lifestyles, an Australian lawmaker said
Tuesday.
Senator Steve
Fielding told a Senate hearing in the Australian capital
Canberra that divorce
only made climate change worse.
When couples
separated, they needed more rooms, more electricity and more water. This
increased their carbon footprint, Australian Associated Press
(AAP) quoted Fielding as telling
the hearing on environmental issues.
"We understand
that there is a social problem (with divorce), but now we're
seeing there is also
environmental impact as well on the footprint," AAP quoted
him as saying.
Such a
"resource-inefficient lifestyle" meant it would be better for
the planet if couples stayed
married, he said.
During the
hearing, the senator read out quotes from a U.S. report that
advocated his stance.
Fielding, who
leads the independent Family First party, grew up in a family
of 16 children and
has been married for 22 years, his website says.
|
