Bill Gates, from the view available to him as he peers up from the depths of the silo of his empire, could be expected to believe "that technology will solve our environmental problems". And he makes an impressive amount of funding available towards technological fixes. But the view from ground-level is more formidable: will the "torrent of technologies" perceived by Roger Kalla lift up and float the desperate, or will it sink them?
Irrespective of where a child is born on this planet, the genetic potential it carries has no relationship to the location. And in a fair and reasonable world, the child should have the same rights to a future life of health, comfort, and fulfilment as any other.
For children in the developing countries of the real world, will the "environmentally friendly technologies" suffice to produce world equity for the newborn? Will the golden-rice, golden-bananas, golden-forestry, improved well-digging, and disease-conquering technologies, produce the goods? Can these forever keep pace with the extra numbers continuously added to the developing world? With numbers doubling in about a generation in spite of present ravages of premature deaths due to scourges which are presently under contemplation for eradication?
Technology is of great assistance but, alone, is not sufficient. Humanity has to face reality and adjust its religious and social attitudes so that we demonstrate superior mentality to the rabbit. We can not proliferate indefinitely. While we share with rabbits the curtailing presence of predators such as hunger and disease, we also have organised warfare. There are better ways to go. It is time we gave cognisance to the cause of problems, rather than wilfully ignoring that cause to deal only with the problems arising from it.

you have not said anything colinsett. I think you need to look at what the difference between first world and third world countries are. Then the tool required to move from third world to first world is quite clearly described.

Multimillion dollar donations by Bill and Melinda Gates to the 'creationist' Discovery Institute (promotor of the junk science labelled as 'Intelligent Design') suggests that the couple are ambivalent about technology.

Gates has a very large amount of money for buffing a rather mucky reputation. Personal and corporate giving to high profile technology-based initiatives plays well in the media, avoids problems with giving to the humanities or human rights (technology is seen as value free, whereas funding for reproductive rights or free speech initiatives is 'political') and is presumably aligned with Gates' technocratic self image (revealed in testimony and correspondence at the recent antitrust hearings). That's a leaf right out of Ivy Lee's advice to John Rockefeller when he was commissioned to make the oil czar smell sweet, in contrast to the Ford Foundation's preparedness to spend the loot on social issues

Arguably more is being done to improve life in the third world by Soros and other philanthropists who have grappled with challenges of strengthening civil society

Great ideas. Plausible responses from Forum wannabe's.
Why is it,we develop such a lucid hate for people who have made in in the real World i.e. Phalanthropist, genius extrordinary, the greatest benifactor this Century - possibly ever ..Bill Gates. We denigrate him for whatever he proposes - whether to solve the World's poverty, or to organise high-tech responses to solving World depleted energy etc.
I heard him spruiking in Sydney on his last visit, and I was numbed by his humanity, and profound humility. Here was - one of the Universe's greatest techocrat's voicing, sharing his ideas with hundreds of adoring fans, and unfazzed by the hype and PR jazz that sadly accompanies all the other not-so-great Howards, Packers, Hazzards, et al.
We can all learn from BG's humility and wisdom.
Meanwhile, Poverty will always remain static. No matter what the G8 summit proposes - whether to abolish loans to Nations, or releive debt, whatever, the poor will remain a blight on the radar. Since creation, these unfortunate's exist and will continue to exist despite the Geldof's, U2's, sing-along's, Bandaid's, ad finitum.
Technology per se has never been the end-all to Society's enigma and anyone who sprouts philosophical jargon to allay the fears of the impoverished Third World, is denuding themselves.
I haven't any answers to this pandemic delemma, except to say we should not waste our bountiful rescources - mental and physical. We who reside in this 'lucky country' have heaps to be thankful for - if only we would harmonise with each other, not waste water, energy, and talents - in endless bickering, snipping , demonising and crusading for meaningless, futile Ideology.
C'est la vie.

What Rodger is all about is simple.
He is trying without success to sound informed.
Most of us are not quite sure what about.

However to make one thing clear to all readers he has a self interest in the poultry farms that keep animal cages in that they can not even turn around for their whole miserable lives.
He is now suggesting to the goverment that ALL free range farmers> Lock Up their chooks.
If you put thousands of people in a close area without sanitation> Or even with it disease is the outcome.
We only need look around the latest world happenings to see that. Disease comes from intensive farming in other countries.
Now he wants MORE intensive farming here in Australia! Dumb and Dumber.Its cruel and it causes deadly disease. Its also handy for evil people to use as a weapon.
Perhaps we should close the airports for six months and stop the germs travelling through the people shoes and the planes air con systems Rodger.
GET ALL OUR ANIMALS INTO FREE RANGE NOW BEFORE WE END UP LIKE OTHER COUNTRIES.
Apart from anything else have you ever considered that we reap what we do! Rodger.
Cruelty is going to kill us all if people dont give animal welfare consideration.

Guess you would not hold that of much importance. You say the animal welfare people are impossible to speak to because they think they are above the average person.
Maybe they just think about things a bit more Rodger.
Things such as cruelty to save a dollar and their familys welfare.
Rodger would know also that media giants like Packer and Murdock and many more who are Australias largest live exporters AND intensive farmers controlling what is told to the Australian Public is a conflict of interest. That needs urgent parliment changes.
People have a right to be informed of the truth.
They are NOT being infomed about diseases being spread through live exports and intensive farming.Look at China and others like her.They are spreading this problem due to their inhumane treatment of animals
Wendy Lewthwaite