How do we change our global economic model to reconcile the dependence on consumption with a sustainable environment?
Cold fusion. Mud huts. It’s a silly question. Why? Consumption is the center of the economy, it’s at the heart of the economy, it’s how we live. Yours is a question for environmentalists. We move from fossil fuels to renewable resources. But you don’t want to kill the economy. I’m a big fan of carbon taxes, fuel taxes, cap and trade, but done in as sensible a manner as you can. Lobby for China to reduce green house gas—the government is not accountable to the people, so unless they are facing mass revolt, they will push growth above all else. Bush/Cheney got it wrong, you don’t subsidize the carbon industry. You make it more costly to consume, make its cost its true cost—internalizing externalities is the economist’s term. Save or spend? We should all save. Our 401(k)s are down, house prices are down, everyone is spending less. The problem is that when everyone does that in unison, the economy collapses; Keynes called it the paradox of thrift. Someone has to step in and fill the hole a
Related Questions
- How do we change our global economic model to reconcile the dependence on consumption with a sustainable environment?
- Do geopolitical borders, economic/financial greed, patriotism, get in the way of biosphere sustainability?
- How is the economic model of broadcast television sustainable in this environment?
