I remember when plastic bags were going to save the trees we were chopping down to make paper. I thought I’d take my dilemmas about the effects of plastic chopping boards over their dilemmas about whether the children would have enough to eat tomorrow, any time. The thing is, I said to my son, however awful the state of the world, more people are living longer and healthier and probably happier lives now than ever before. In many times and places, I’d just be trying to survive war, famine and/or disease. There are happier and healthier countries than Ireland (a narrower rich-poor divide is usually a sign), but most aren’t.

Source: The Irish Times December 29, 2025 06:11 UTC