Juliet Schor: Forget Commercialism | New Dream
So we're getting a lot of calls that harken back to the 1930s. But old-style Depression-economics isn't the answer either. Because the planet is telling us, loud and clear, that it can't cope with business as usual (BAU).People who are following the news on climate, bio-diversity and other ecological issues also understand that the standard remedy of getting consumers and/or government, to spend more can't work this time around. We've lost the ability to profitably or responsibly grow our way out of recession. The usual kinds of consumer spending (cars, electronics, furniture, apparel, travel) degrade vital eco-systems and have an economic cost. BAU puts us deeper into an economic hole, because every dollar of GNP creates new and unacceptable damage to the planet. A government program which mainly goes to shoring up a failing automotive infrastructure (roads and bridges) suffers from the same problem. It's throwing good money after bad. The latest findings about climate are that we need to stabilize greenhouse gases in the atmosphere immediately. Whatever government and consumers spend on needs to reflect that reality.
Source: New Dream Blog
Hat tip: Rick I.
