March 9th edition:
This Green Earth
John Cassidy's critique of continual economic growth brings welcome
attention to a grave concern of many environmental scientists ("Steady
State," February 10th). He nicely describes the alternative economic
approach referred to as "green growth," which some people believe will
allow us to "enjoy perpetual growth and prosperity while also reducing
carbon emissions and our consumption of natural resources." Unfortunately,
it seems that green-growth enthusiasts have drunk a more diluted batch of
the same Kool-Aid as people who think that conventional growth can go on
indefinitely. Perhaps economic growth can be decoupled from carbon
emissions, but we still need to deal with invasive species,
desertification, and other insults to natural ecosystems. Clever new
technologies can help, but efficiency gains are finite and can be
overwhelmed when these technologies are scaled up. A longer-term solution
may require the slowing, and the eventual reversal, of population growth,
combined with a decrease in average individual consumption in richer
countries. The latter change will require resisting common marketing
tactics. But once man of us do so, we will suffer less financial stress
and will have more time for relationships, leisure, and other delights.
After forty years as an ecologist, I believe that the transition to a less
materialistic world would be a cakewalk compared with living on a planet
with too little photosynthesis.
Peter C.Schulze
Professor of Biology and Environmental Science
Austin College
Sherman, Texas
The above letter sums up my feelings about "smart growth". We cannot
continue in the same direction we have been going. We cannot consume our
way to contentment, which is a way of life in the "consumingest" country in
the world per capita. We have been continuously lied to by our government,
but we cannot afford to lie to ourselves.
I sincerely hope that this COVID19 pandemic allows us time to rethink our
priorities and take some steps to nurture the planet, while enriching our
lives and also leaving a legacy of clean air, water and soil to those who
follow us.
Janet Nye
Phillips