Preface
As a species, we're at an important crossroad. Shall we continue on the path of unlimited growth and overconsumption, or choose a different path? In other words, shall we continue producing an ever-increasing mountain of rubbish (both products & wastes), or choose another route?
For decades, and continuing presently, we've chosen a path based on myths and falsehoods. That path has brought about a multi-faceted disaster which is unfolding before our eyes. We've yet to encounter the worst of it, thus some people continue to believe everything will be okay. It's all being handled.
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The Primary Myths of Mainstream Economics (in no particular order)
1. This is the Age of Information and Services. Don't worry about developed countries transferring manufacturing elsewhere. We'll import goods. Plus, soon we'll
decouple economics from natural resources and ecological impacts.
https://theconversation.com/the-decoupling-delusion-rethinking-growth-and-sustainability-71996
Most of number 1. above is
rubbish. For example, the number one service industry is Transportation. What's being transported? Mostly -
material goods (and people). Unfortunately, a great deal of those goods are
junk, inferior goods from countries which have super-low wages and few environmental laws. Low-priced in the short-run, but costly in the long-run. They have to be replaced about every year. Lots of them are on Amazon, and in Walmart. The rest of the service industry uses "goods" galore. Point being: an economy needs manufacturing, especially if a
Middle Class is to survive.
Then there's "Information". Mainstreamers often claim an economy can be grown with the buying and selling of that. The trouble is: information usually is connected directly to manufacturing or agricultural GOODS. Two exceptions to that: info in the Financial Sector, and Advertising.
The Financial Sector extracts money from the economy; it doesn't add to it. [This despite the fact that its income is counted as adding to the GDP.] Advertising (mostly outlandish) adds to the cost of goods or services. So, neither one is very good for the economy. Of course, that's arguable.
2. Perpetual, unlimited growth will lift people out of poverty. "A rising tide lifts all boats". That's why Business (especially Mega Business) should have tax breaks, subsidies, bailouts, loopholes, etc.
The main problems with those assertions are:
a) the opportunity playing field is not level;
b) there is almost zero "trickle down" nowadays; and,
c) too many CEOs focus only on quarterly profits and increasing the stock value.
That all means low wages, few benefits, and no job security. CEOs and other top execs get their "golden parachute" even if they run the company into the ground.
More rubbish.
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Industrial and Commercial Wastes
The air, bodies of water, and land are all being used as "waste sinks". Not much, but some of those wastes are recycled naturally and/or artificially. Back when I was a teenager (in the 1950's), Earth's human population was 2
.5 billion; it's now close to 8 billion. As population has increased, so has the amount of waste. Today, despite recycling efforts, and due to the growth of the petrochemical industry, both the amount of waste and its toxicity
have exceeded Earth's waste
assimilating and/or neutralizing capabilities. Plus, recycling of the most ubiquitous solid waste - plastic - has dropped way off. Let's not even mention the ongoing problems with nuclear waste... too depressing.
For several years as a HazMat Specialist with Sacramento County, I inspected businesses of all sizes for regulatory compliance regarding hazardous wastes and hazardous products. [I left that job in 2004.] Also included in my inspections were governmental facilities such as military bases. One of those was a SuperFund Cleanup Site. [By the way, Trump has stopped the addition of new sites to the aggregate list of sites.] As of June 2019, there are 1,344 SuperFund Sites scattered all across the USA... in every one of our 50 States. Each one is so badly polluted that it will take years to do the cleanup. The biggest problem is pollution of
groundwater (water held underground). Frankly, I doubt that all such sites ever will be back to normal. It's a safe bet there are thousands more sites that didn't make the SuperFund category listing. Finally, there were 48 more SuperFund Sites
proposed for addition to the list in 2019. They didn't make it because of our "genius" President stopping the entire procedure.
Point being: we have a massive problem relative to pollution of the air, water, and land. Most people are cognizant of this. Those who believe we can decouple GROWTH from natural resources and negative environmental impact via substitutions and human ingenuity are, in my opinion, peddling snake oil... both to themselves and the to rest of us.
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Conclusion
Continuing on with unlimited growth and overconsumption, while ignoring Earth's biophysical constraints, makes no sense. That's brought us to where we are today... even after 50 years of the "Environmental Movement"! We don't need more junk and waste in our lives. What does make sense is
degrowth and transitioning to a
Steady State Economy, essentially, to Ecological Economics. If organized human existence is to survive and thrive, that's the path we should take. And as I've said before, that will require a paradigm shift in ethics.
See
https://mahb.stanford.edu/
Also
https://steadystate.org/
Also
http://www.ussee.org/our-blog/category/education-publications/
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Not only my opinion. Be Well
