Corporations:

  • What are they doing at the corporate level?
  • Examples of corporate initiatives – eg. IBM
    • Are these initiatives right or wrong?
    • Some initiatives are oriented towards growth which is not sustainable (see Bartlett’s chapter)
  • What are their goals? – measures of success, are they achieving them?

How do we get the message out that we are heading towards a systemic collapse?

Themes/concepts by Albert Bartlett (Reflections on Sustainability..):

  •  varying definitions of the term ”sustainable”. Examples: political leaders and corporations have various initiatives which promote “sustainability”.
    • Eg. “Sustainable growth” – is this really possible when both seem to be at conflict with each other?
    • As Bartlett points out, what is meant by “socially sustainable” and “environmentally sustainable?” – is it possible to have one without the other?
  • Population growth is the greatest problem we are facing.
    • What are the serious consequences associated with population growth?
  • The concept of carring capacity is fundamental in discussing population growth.
    • Carrying capacity defined by (Giampietro et al. 1992) as “the limit to the number of humans the earth can support in the long term without damage to the environment.”
      • How do we measure the level of “damage” we are doing to the environment?
      • We do not know the failure points of the system. 
  • Population growth occurs at the expense of the carrying capacity of the environment
    • (This relates to Diamond’s concepts – societies collapsed as a result of the conflict between the needs of humans and the needs of the environment)  
    • (This also relates to Garrett Hardin’s Three Laws of Human Ecology: First Law: We can never do merely one thing. This is due to the interconnectedness of systems!)
  • There is no such thing as “smart growth”. Growth of any kind destroys the environment.
  • “If humans fail to stop population growth, nature will stop these growths”
    • (This is demonstrated in Diamond. Collapse of societies were imposed by nature).

Notes on Tim Jackson’s Deakin Talk

  • Growth is unsustainable
  • The existing scale of economic activity is already in several key places beyond the safe “operating space”.
  • We are already in a condition of ecological overshoot
  • In the richer nations, there is little return between increase in incomes and human development outcomes, therefore why are we still chasing growth in the richest nations?
  • We don’t know how to make economies work when they are not growing
  • Growth = Jobs = Votes => Politicians favour growth
  • Creative destruction – the continual throwing over of old processes in favour of new ones.
  • Consumer society – we have an appetite for novelty. More than just fuctionality – we signal our status with material goods (Sociology of consumption).
    • This also relates to Annie’s concepts of Planned & Perceived Obsolescence. Consumption is driving the system
  • Do economies really have to be like that?
  • Can we make sense of prosperity that isn’t about rising incomes and material wealth?
  • Prosperity should be about our ability to flourish as human beings within a finite planet.
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