Secrets and Hope in Our Mad World

Early in 2017 I read George Marshall’s book ‘Don’t Even Think About It: Why We are Wired Not to Think About Climate Change’ and I decided I would think about it. And I would read about it. Then I would write about it.

I write as a 'non-expert' and I'm hoping that your comments will help me to see whether the insights I've

gained make sense, whether the conclusions stack up and whether it's realistic for me to start feeling

hopeful about the future .

July 5th - Will a 'technological fix' bring us a better future?

There's no doubt than Mankind is pretty clever, so lots of people are saying that we can deal with the problems of the world by a clever use of technology. We just need sustainable energy and a more efficient use of materials and we can carry on with business as usual. The growing population of the world will all be able to enjoy the benefits which capitalism, unfettered by government interference, can deliver.
But Tim Jackson in 'Prosperity without growth' exposes this idea as a myth.  And since he is the UK government adviser on sustainable development, Economics Commissioner on the Sustainable Development Commission AND Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Surrey I guess he knows what he is talking about!
So, why can't Mankind's brilliance deliver a Western-lifestyle to a population estimated soon to reach 9 bn?  Simply because, however efficiently and cleverly we build the infrastructure and productive machinery necessary for a mass consumer lifestyle poor old Planet Earth does not have sufficient oil, gas, iron ore, copper and the rest to go round. If we continue to demand continual material growth we will face an inevitable collapse in the resource base at some point in the (not too distant) future. So there we have it ... we have to find another way ... 
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1 comment:

  1. Anonymous5 July 2013 at 06:23

    This is what collapse looks like.

    You might like to look at this short paper on the subject by a writer who, for my money, is one of the most erudite, piercingly-insightful, and illuminating around anywhere in the anglosphere at the moment:

    http://www.ecoshock.org/transcripts/greer_on_collapse.pdf

    This is simply one of the best short descriptions that I know of on how collapses of civilisations happen -- repeatedly -- and what's happening to ours right now.

    And if you like musings and vivid descriptions of the details on the same subject, in fictional-story form, John Michael does that too, here:

    http://starsreach.blogspot.co.uk/

    JMG is publishing this story in instalments, and on this blogger you'll need to go to the first instalment, which is right at the bottom, and work upwards.

    Hope this-all is as fascinating and enlightening to you as it is to me, Eileen. Have fun! Hwyl fawr, RhG

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