Distinction of, misuse and consequences of modern terminology

There is an essential difference between growth and development. Growth has a positive connotation - a forest grows, a child grows. But after a while we surely want our child to stop growing and instead developing. Not a quantitative growth, but an qualitative development.

The term growth is used and mentioned, as previously pointed out in the blog, practically in every major political or organizational instance worldwide as a operational goal.

Which solutions, what values are rewarded with growth as a motive in political desicions? Does it lead us where we want to go? Examples of unreflected references to growth in Sweden are plentiful; the Collage of Education expresses that it educates teachers for the sake of growth, the Swedish horse breed organization donates money for growth and the county council of Örebro is offering health care not for the sake of the health, but to promote growth!

One of many deeply problematic consequences coupled to continued economic growth is that required work declines when technological rationalizations improves production costs and time in manufacturing sectors generally. Problem is that this underlying trend forces overall production volymes to increase so as to secure job opportunities. Ironically, this is the logic behind all consumption-stimulating measures in the aftermaths of the financial crisis (raw material crisis?). It is also the same path towards the gap.

Alternative routes encompasses for example less than 40 labour hours per labour week, extraction and exchange of returns in productivity to free-time and sharing labour. For alternative routes we need brave, bold and engaged politicians that are more interested in the future of coming generations rather than misusage of authority and power. For alternative routes we also need a shift in values among ordinary citizens that can support real sustainable decisions.

Financial crisis or raw material crisis?

Our societies are dependent on fossil fuels in order to operate. No other fuel is so concentrated in energy than crude oil derivative products. The reigning consumption-oriented societies rest on one much important condition - access to cheap and high energy fuels. Fact is that between 2004-2007 an oil barrel rose from 35 dollar to 70 dollar - a doubling of price. The reason is that the global oil production levels have been stable since 2004, despite increasing global demand. Interestingly, year 2008 the oil price was doubled once again. This led to much important and coupled concequences. Doubling of the oil price over the two-year course led to higher fuel and food prices leading to an inflation kickstart, which in turn forced the American Central Bank to increase the interest rate, amongst one concequence being higher housing mortgages, freezed downpayments from borrowers and freezed house loans from banks, etc, etc.

Alarmingly, the strategy utilized world-wide to bring economies back on track (apart of using state tax money as stimulation packages leading to a degration of public sector welfare) is through increased consumption and continued growth. An economical governance demanding accelerated access to cheap and high-energy fuels. Not to mention climate change with all of its direct and indirect consequences.

It goes without saying that when the global economy again rises, it will again hit the same energy boundaries that initiated the crisis it was supposed to revive from.

Dead end. Try alternative route.

Monopoly in thinking among national economists

People are getting tired of consuming. Something new is starting to form that is based on a longing for higher quality of life, more spare time and engagement in social/cultural or other creative activities. However, it seems, unfortunately that it will take some more time for important decision makers to understand the unsustainable essence of the prevailing economical system. Economic growth is a similarily unquestioned concept/dogma as the 15th century notion that the planet was flat. Economic growth is, today, the overall answer to most problems; poverty, inequality, unemployment and most frequently how to boost the economy so that higher competitive can be gained. It is used throughout the world, in practically every political instance. One fundamental cause of neoliberalism being the forefront political ideology worldwide (together with all of its problems, mishaps, environmental and social consequences) is the fact that students graduating with grades of national economical is indoctrinated in the same, old-fashioned, extremely narrow and simplistic framework: neoclassical economical theory.

It goes without saying that this will need to be questioned. In editorials, in political arenas, debates of all sorts and furthermore to spread the insight that we need another way of organising our economical system. And good news is, sustainable solutions already exist.

Localisation, down-sizing, democratical participation, ecological economics, social methods of sharing labour and resources, promoting all sorts of cultural activities for the benefit of citizens - a pluralistic economical framework should be what we need.

Planetary boundaries

Johan Rockström presented today at a seminar at the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise his latest work together with international collegues; Planetary Boundaries - an explaration of the safe operating space for humanity. In this fascinating and fully-holistical piece of scientific work many important key-insights are presented. The study treats nine planetary boundaries which, being trespassed, the resilience of the Earth as a system is alarmingly undermined. Results show that 3 out of 9 planetary boundaries, climate change, the biogeochemical nitrogen-cycle and biodiversity have been passed the limit of safe operating space.

What can be learned from this important contemporary holistical screening of the planets ecosystemservice functions?

First and foremost, the climate negotiations need to take into account the function of ecosystems and biodiversity as an essential aspect as they help to mitigate climate change.

Secondly, at the longer perspective, we need really to start thinking to modify our economical system. The current driving forces in the economical system are central aspects of unsustainability. We need to transform the economical system so as to be integrated with the ecological, biophysical boundaries the planet poses. We need to understand that the economy is completely dependent on healthy ecosystems.

What a marvelous piece of human history. We can co-create and co-transform the way society is designed, re-value our relationship to time and money and become more cultural so as to replace our dysfunctional cosumption-oriented lifestyle.

Let´s do this.

An alternative to conventional governance

The first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economy, Elinor Ostrom, has with her science opened up an alternative to conventional governance. State or privatized governance over whatever good or natural resource have been the conventional up to now while common governance usually has been regarded as a form of political statement and much doubtful. Elinor studies show that a critical limit in order to ensure a good function of common governance seems to be 15 000 inhabitants. After that limit is trespassed, the agreements among the individuals sharing the resource seem to be easily disrupted and inorder emerges. Also, Elinor shows with her studies 5000 examples of successfull common governance of natural resources ranging from fisheries, forests and grazing lands. This has enormous potential into developing into many more implemented examples. The prize winner could not have been presented to the world with a better timing. Understanding that political systems are not capable in dealing with humanities problems in such a paste that is needed, we rather will have to look in taking things in our own hands and forming communities again so as to live locally, thinking globally - acting glocally!

Global Day of Action

On 6th December the Global Day of Acton will take place. The ambition is through manifestations arranged in hundreds of countries worldwide call on world leaders to take urgent action on climate change during the UN top climate meeting that will be held in Poznan, Poland.

Take the opportunity to demonstrate. Take a look at http://www.globalclimatecampaign.org/

Climate party!

The 16th of October, Think Globally Radio covered a Climate Party in central Stockholm.

The idea of the party, launched by the movement "Klimataktion" in Sweden is to raise awareness of the acute climate situation as well as to highlight the relation of the participants to this global issue. A Climate Party has its roots from the "home sales party" phenomenon. However, instead of a salesman there is a climate whistleblower invited to the party.

Think Globally Radio will soon do a show dedicated for this idea together with representatives of the movement "Klimataktion".

You can visit Klimataktion here.