Subject: Re: [permaculture] Consumerism and oil and more
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2006 19:13:40 +0000
"The developed countries need to reduce their level of energy
consumption and learn to live without excessive consumerism."
What is excessive consumerism? People will consume less only when they
don't have the money to spend; they will buy as much crap as they can
afford. They will drive less only when the cost of driving exceeds the
benefit of getting where they want to go. You might get a few people on
board with the whole "we need to consume less" mantra, but you are not going
to make a dent in the public at large. They need incentives to consume
less.
The incentives often exist in the problems themselves. The rising cost of
oil will eventually decrease demand. People will drive less, carpool, etc.
It will also spur innovation, making alterntive choices more appealing. We
don't need to solve the oil problem, the very problem will bring the
solutions. Things will change, but nothing is going to come to a grinding
halt. Just as much as people are consumers, they are creative.
Will there be pollution involved with the next big whatever it is?
Probably. But don't throw the baby out... there are solutions to those
problems as well. If the new technology causes pollution, the producers and
consumers can/should be taxed to pay for it its remediation. The solutions
need to come from both the policy level and the design level. That is, make
economic incentives for people to consume/pollute less, and that will also
spur greener innovations. I believe there are ways to design products and
services that are less damaging to the environment. It takes creative,
holistic thinking, but it can be done. If not, we are f'd.