then why doesn't he renouce his current lifestyle and move his family to some little village in a "developing country" (the term "3rd world" is not considered PC anymore)? Does he lack the courage of his convictions to actually live a life of poverty or is that a life better led by others? I can guess the answer to that one.

My wife grew up poor in the Philippines. There were no social programs to help the poor there, so people either worked hard, stole, or starved. Her parents both worked hard to raise their kids and give them an education. Life was hard, so she doesn't take anything for granted. It's also a source of humor between us. The other day, we got into our car after it had been parked outside for a while. It was very hot inside, so she joked, "Quick, turn on the air conditioner! I'm an American woman now!"

Go to the smoking garbage heaps outside of Manila where the poor pick through the trash hoping to find enough to eek out a living and ask them if poverty is a good thing. Go ask people in countless villages around the world if they like having to walk long distances to carry water back to their shacks - assuming the only source of water isn't some disease infected pond where people and animals also bathe. Ask them if poverty is a good thing. Ask them in they enjoy seeing a high percentage of their children die before their 5th birthday due to the glorious life of poverty. While you're at it, ask them about their choice between taking care of the environment or their family and see which gets priority.

To a large measure, concern about the environment is a luxury for wealthy nations. Poor people are working too hard to survive to really care about deforestation. That's why the environment is often in such bad shape in poor countries with large populations.