Stopping Growth

Okay, the Goose steps up on his soapbox, and clears his throat:

The greatest environmental problem is that we are addicted to growth — infinite growth on a finite planet is unsustainable.

Our government, the central banking system, and many other institutions treat growth like a cocaine fix. Until we get the growth addicts into rehab, all we are doing as environmentalists is mitigating impact. In effect, we are acting as enablers for the growth addicts and only exacerbating the problem. For example, if we create a region that is more "livable" that will only draw more people into that area, until it is no longer "livable."

Adopting a simple lifestyle and minimizing family size are the best ways to help the environment.

Of course, we must continue our public policy work, but until we address the "root problems" we will be up against powerful institutional resistance.

Growth in terms of quality and maturity is the direction we need to be going. Growth in terms of population growth and GNP will eventually kill the addict. Even great environmentalists are programmed to believe that growth must always be accommodated. That is a modern myth.

More comments from the Gooster ....

So, you are probably wondering how we are going to stop growth and still live a decent life. Well, there are many factors in play here:

• Most critically, we MUST STOP POPULATION GROWTH. I really see no point in packing billions of people on this Planet just for the fun of it. Before we can stop our ever-growing and all-consuming economy, we must stabilize population. We can still have a comfortable life, but each of us needs to be happy with less.
  
  
• Sorry, but religion is bad. Many religions teach that humans are somehow better than other creatures — this is a total lie and creates an arrogant mindset. We must learn to reconnect and live in harmony with nature. Some religions teach that the Earth is a gift for humans and we are to "reap the bounty." This is another lie and a poor justification for raping the Planet.
  
  
• We need practical solutions. It is a myth that senior citizens must stop working at age 65 — let them keep working to support the economy.
  
  
• We need to start getting our happiness from things other than manufactured crap. This is yet another reason why Christians piss me off. The Gospels clearly depict Jesus as a simple-lifestyle person, who is not hung up on his possessions. But when Christmas comes, Christians and heathens alike engage in a consumer feeding frenzy, and we are told that the economy needs this orgy of materialism. Happiness should come from playing with a puppy or smelling a flower, not from buying crap.

Okay, I could go on, but the point is: I hear all this talk about going to a green economy, but clean growth is still bad — it just takes longer to have the same impact. For instance, I just heard about a family of eight who moved into an eco-house. All those little consumers that the parents created will have a far greater impact than the impact they reduced by going green.

There is no such thing as green growth because you are STILL wiping out habitat as you grow, i.e. you are destroying the homes of other animals that you share the Planet with.

GREEN MUST EQUAL NO GROWTH. Again, there is enough people on the Planet. Do we really need to reduce the quality of life for ourselves and other species, just so that we can accommodate more people? It's nuts.

Todd