As Tim Jackson points out we need to seek a way forward by (1) changing the 'social logic' whereby people are locked into the idea that material possessions will bring happiness and (2) by abandoning or altering GDP as the central feature of the economy by which the success of our society is measured.
GDP includes as 'goodies' economic activity involved in such things as cleaning up oil spills, arms manufacture, cutting down trees, police and health personnel involved in dealing with road traffic accidents but it takes no account of housework, congestion on the roads, pollution, informal caring (put mum into a home it counts, looking after her at home it doesn't!), growing your own vegetables and the army of voluntary workers who contribute so much to society day in and day out. How perverse as a measure of 'success' is that?
"My increased electric bill improved GDP!! Does anyone really understand these silly numbers?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/apr/25/uk-avoid-triple-dip-recession-gdp-growth
ReplyDelete"The key services sector expanded by 0.6% on the quarter, according to the ONS, while industrial production also grew, by 0.2% – though much of that was accounted for by North Sea output. The struggling construction sector declined by 2.5%.
The business secretary, Vince Cable, said: "Today's figures are modestly encouraging and taken alongside other indicators, such as employment figures, suggest that things are going in the right direction."
Despite the unusually cold weather in March, the ONS denied that the weather had had any measurable impact on the figures. While retailers suffered in January and March, that was partly offset by increased demand for energy from householders turning up their heating against the freezing temperatures outside."
So the poorer our insulation is and the more greenhouse gases we consume the bigger the GDP which all and sundry assume is a good thing! But what has the sale of domestic electricity and gas got to do with Gross domestic Product - so if we could only borrow enough to triple our gas and electricity bills we could soon get that GDP number up !!
Are these bean counters completely insane?
cheers"