Earth's ecosystems are collapsing and dying as all life and the biosphere are murdered for industrial economic growth
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
The latest stupid idea is so-called sustainable economic growth and the talk is full of it, at times. However, the words “sustainable” and “growth” just do not compute together in a world with finite non-renewable resources.
We need to come to understand that economic growth is not sustainable and in order to be sustainable we have to develop a new model and system. If we do not we are going to kill ourselves and the Planet, and that in that order.
The capitalist system, and we must include here also state capitalism, which was referred to as communism/socialism, that was prevalent in the countries of the Com-Bloc, those once upon a time behind the so-called Iron Curtain. That was not true communism or socialism but state regulated capitalism. In both instances the system was geared towards ever increasing growth, to the detriment of Mother Earth.
“When the Earth is ravaged and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the Earth from many colors, creeds and classes, and who by their actions and deeds shall make the Earth green again. They shall be known as the Warriors of the Rainbow.” Hopi Prophesy
Our organized religions, especially the three Abrahamic Faiths, are detrimental to the Planet as they teach, basically, or, let's better say are misinterpreted to teach, that man is the lord over all creation and over the Earth and some even teach that all lithe non-renewable resources and not, actually, non-renewable but that G-d will replenish them at infinitum and that, therefore, we do not have to stop using oil and such. Much like Jesus turning water to wine at the wedding at a wedding G-d will create more oil, gas, and other resources. The sad thing that those people actually firmly believe this and cannot and will not be convinced of the opposite.
The truth is, obviously, an entirely different one and one that is not so rosy as painted by those of those religions and especially those of certain brands of the Christian one.
The Bible does not say that G-d gave us everything to abuse; it says that it was given to us to use. And use here means use for our needs and not for our greed.
Neither, say the proponents of this belief, is the Earth experiencing any climate change. It is made up by those that want to control everyone and that there has always been freak weather throughout the thousands of years the Earth has been in existence. Yes, they do not believe either that the Earth is millions of years old, despite the fossil evidence and all the rest. Some even believe – and teach children (in school) – that man and dinosaurs walked the Earth together, despite evidence to the contrary.
While one would like to believe that this belief only exists among a few sad characters the unfortunate fact is that it seems to be gaining momentum, especially in the Christian right (and not very right they are) in the USA and other countries.
The facts are that we are running out of resources of the non-renewable kind, and that we cannot maintain a growth-based economy. It was a bad idea for starters but is an even worse one now, and even calling for sustainable economic growth is something that just does not work. Instead we need to develop a resource-based economy and one that is not dedicated to growth.
We must do that, and we must do that now, in order to halt the damage to the Earth and in the hope that we can reverse and repair the damage already caused.
© 2013
