Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.08.2016, Page 26

Andri Snær Magnason, writing in response to
the question, “What would happen in your
dream 2016?”
“There is a tendency for industry to fill up
every possibility that it has. This means,
if you have the know-how, and the raw mate-
rials, there is a tendency to go as far as
you can. With this attitude in mind, it seems
that our engineering and construction talent
screams that nothing can be done if you want
to protect anything somehow.
“After the industrialists are living in
a country that has harvested ten times more
energy than the population can consume, they
will inevitably hit the wall. But before they
hit the wall, they will have caused lots of
pain, lots of damage, created lots of pro-
tests, sadness, enemies and pollution. Maybe
they will even have created an island where
their kids no longer want to live, because
there is nothing left to stay for. And af-
terwards, they will have to recreate them-
selves, which will be a painful process for
them. Creativity is always painful.
“So, a best case scenario is that they
would understand this obvious fact now—that
they will have to recreate themselves. We
cannot just accept this phase of endless
construction and expansion. We instead need
to use the resources we have in a sober way,
focus on the energy we are already harvest-
ing, and increasing the value of that.
“So, it would be to everyone’s benefit
to collectively come to terms with the fact
that we live in a very beautiful country, and
that a national park would add value to the
existing active resources in the long term.
Using every resource to the maximum would
actually stain the whole idea of Icelandic
energy with manipulation, greed, and disre-
gard for our planet.”
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 12 — 2016
26
Photo ART BICNICK
Photo ANNA DOMNICK