The Illusion of Rapid Growth

Tags

growth, sustainable development

What if the rapid growth we have witnessed in the 20th century was just an aberration?

What if our expectations of rapid wealth accumulation are unrealistic?

What if our desires of insatiable consumption – owning multiple homes & cars, frequent foreign travel, hoarding goods, etc. – are based on unsustainable foundations?

What if the frequent economic & financial crises in the past few decades, clueless governments, and widespread discontentment indicate we were wrong about the way we have pursued growth & development so far?

What if we choose to be frugal, develop slowly by surely, not leave masses of people behind in poverty & disillusionment as we progress, and keep mother nature pristine to sustain all life now & in the future?

What if a dose of difficult, inconvenient, & unpopular, but necessary, steps are required to get the world back on a slow, steady & sustainable progress?

 

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Development vs climate change

Tags

climate change, sustainable development

The agitated flurry of points & counter-points, proposals & counter-proposals, offers & rebukes, debates & protests, in the build-up to the Copenhagen conference on climate change, show the possibility of an inconclusive outcome.

Developing nations want the developed ones to share the lion’s burden of the costs to manage climate change.  The logic being developed nations have become so by polluting away to glory.

Developed nations are obviously reluctant to oblige.  What’s in it for them?  There is no free lunch.

The underlying premise of these debates seems to be that climate change and development cannot get along.

This is interesting.

Is development equal to wide-spread industrialization & unbridled consumerism?  Most of us seem to think so.  Then, we may not have a definite solution to climate change.  We will debate, plod along, make half-hearted attempts, and eventually perish.

What about sustainable development?  The way this is defined currently is like going forward a few steps, and then stepping back a few.  We will end up going nowhere, or go somewhere too late.

The corporate which is polluting in its home country tries to makeup by planting trees in another.  The executive who conscientiously avoids using the car for his daily commutes and tracks his monthly carbon footprint doesn’t think hard about having that exotic fish for dinner, replenishing his wardrobe every month, or analyzing his wastage pattern.

We are just sweeping dirt under the carpet, or smartly dumping it on the neighbour.

A new model of development is needed.

Till then,  lets hope individual effort & ingenuity keeps the world safe.