Many of my critics say that I am against Growth, and they’d be correct. Growth, even at 0.1%, is physically not sustainable. One of the best quotes I’ve heard in years is “Are humans smarter than yeast?” That is based on the classic biology experiment of observing bacteria growth in a petri dish. In observing the industrialized world, I might answer that question, “No.”
Growth is NOT sustainable. NOT desirable. Growth, is destructive. Reaganomics, industrialization, green collar economy, socialism, nationalism whatever brand you smoke they are all dead wrong if the word Growth is used. Man's endless desire for profit and greed, the “more - more - more” generation, is Growth we can not sustain.
To me Growth is a bad word unless I am using it in regard to say - my garden. Or, children. Trees. Topsoil. These things and many, many more - grow, live, die, and become part of the earth again. This allows subsequent generations to follow suit. That is what we call sustainable. Climate change aside.
Even the most brilliant and noble of “green” endeavors to “save us” still use that term. “Growth in the alternative fuels industry is spurring new discoveries and raising Energy Return on Energy Investment (EROEI) to amazing levels. Now EROEI ratios of nearly 1.3:1 are possible! I think we’ll see electric and biofuel cars in every driveway within a decade.” - brilliant and noble green industries grant recipient.
Growth. Yeah, right...
I was walking in my woods last week checking fallen trees to see which were suitable for firewood and which were best left to rot and become new topsoil when it dawned on me. Growth really is “grow, live, die, and become part of the earth again” even when it’s the economy.
We’ve seen the “grow” part and some Madoff (I mean, made off) with billions. During the “live” part many more tried only to discover they were the pansies. And now we are seeing the “die” part, slow and painful as it is. The industrial economies of the world are realizing that they are not very profitable, especially in large complex scale, beyond the short run and absolutely not sustainable at all in the long run.
Although I haven’t quite figured out how miles and miles of toxic, abandoned, industrial infrastructure and strip malls will “become part of the earth again” it is pretty obvious what we are experiencing.
I don’t have all the answers. I’m sure my critics will read in what they will and yell their opinions in ALL CAPS that “GROWTH IS GOOD” and “WE CAN GO ON EXPANDING FOREVER.” And, all I want to do is “FORCE EVERYONE TO GO BACK TO THE STONE AGE.”
It seems there never is an end to the Growth of opinion and you’ve just read mine.
