The difference between reality and rhetoric in which all are said to be
equal and to have the same opportunities is simply too great. Our use of both mineral resources and living
resources, with their origin in photosynthesis, is now at a level that simply
cannot be sustained.We have
now reached a stage where we need to divert more attention to building a
new world than to fixing the old one.
1. Our relationship with nature is characterized
by over-exploitation of raw materials and natural resources. Certainly, history
shows that we have a remarkable capacity to overcome the limitations of our
natural environment. Nevertheless, our use of both mineral resources and living
resources, with their origin in photosynthesis, is now at a level that simply
cannot be sustained. This can be expressed in different ways such as that we
are soon reaching ‘peak oil’; that our ecological footprint is already one and
half Earth; that we are already using more than half of the entire biosphere;
and that wilderness is now only marginal compared to human-dominated
ecosystems.
2. We know that the release of
greenhouse gases, largely the effect of extraction of fossil fuels and
degradation of natural resources, will lead to marked changes in climate,
resulting in great human suffering and material costs. In addition, we have
caused severe reduction of biological diversity, the very web of life on earth.
We have manipulated other life processes, such as the nitrogen cycle, to such a
scale and in such a way that it will most certainly lead to severe disruptions.
3. We have unleashed 100,000 chemicals,
but we have no idea how they affect us. We take medicines, eat food additives
and indirectly consume pesticides we spray on crops. Drinking water and the air
we breathe are full of man-made chemicals. We have very little knowledge about
the long-term impact on us of the cocktail of chemicals we spread, and we know
even less about how it affects our living environment.
4. The production and productivity
revolution, which we explain with entrepreneurship, the superiority of
capitalism and an individual’s strive for personal gain can equally be
interpreted as the result of one thing: access to external sources of energy,
primarily fossil fuel. Use of energy is also the cause of many problems, most
obviously the greenhouse effect. At least equally serious is that energy is the
engine in almost any other resource depletion and degradation of ecosystem
services. But the cheap energy sources are drying up and, more importantly,
their efficiency is dwindling.
5. With the commercialization of
farming and the introduction of chemical fertilizers, we no longer have to
reproduce our production ability and capacity within the system itself. To
replenish natural capital, fertility, labour and genetic resources are bought
over the counter, thus separating production and reproduction. This system is
commercially efficient, but very inefficient in its use of energy; it is
threatening the long-term fertility and capacity of the soil. Despite the
emphasis on production, a billion people go to sleep hungry every day.
6. The system does not have sufficient
self-correcting feedback loops to keep in check income inequality; the only
thing that can keep it running is a constant economic growth so that those at
the bottom, after all, will be a little better off every year. This is not
primarily an economic problem but a social and moral problem. The difference
between reality and rhetoric (in which all are said to be equal and to have the
same opportunities) is simply too great.
7. The capitalist model of development
was most successful in countries that industrialized first, followed by
countries that had different comparative advantages in certain development
stages. But large parts of humanity are outside of the development, including
both the individuals who are left behind in industrialized countries and those
whole countries that have no comparative advantages to exploit. Just like not
all communities could make the transition from gathering and hunting to
farming, many communities today cannot make the transition to a capitalist
society because they lack the right conditions.
8. The values, attitudes and mechanisms
that form the foundation of capitalism are obstacles to the harmonious
development of society. Competition is promoted at the expense of cooperation,
self-interest at the expense of solidarity and commitment to others, private
property at the expense of commons and exploitation at the expense of
stewardship or nursing.
9. The combined effects of those
values, industrial technology, capital accumulation and market competition
drive endless growth and consumption. It is certainly within human nature to be
a little dissatisfied, to want more, to explore new opportunities. Without
those properties, we would probably never become human beings in the first
place. It is in society’s nature to contain these desires so that they continue
to benefit us all. With the capitalist takeover of society, these restrictions
don’t work any more, and we are all trapped in a treadmill of ever-increasing
consumption. This consumption, driven by several of the factors mentioned
above, has made us healthier, wiser, more beautiful and perhaps happier to
begin with, but it has long crossed a line after which ‘more things’ do not
mean more well-being.
10. That things are not a lot worse than
they are is a result of the deep and strong properties of humanity and of our
larger organism, our society. We do our best to mitigate the ills produced by
our economic system. When old social institutions break down, we build new
ones; when old values and culture lose their meaning, we develop new ones.
Ultimately, we will also build a new world. We have now reached a stage where
we need to divert more attention to building a new world than to fixing the old
one.
These ten points are from the introduction of Garden Earth which is due to be published within a month. I will keep you posted...
'This book presents a powerful narrative
overview of the human condition in the 21st century. In the decades ahead, our
species must navigate the end of fossil fuels and economic growth as we've
known it — a tall order by any estimation. The risks are great, but so are the
potential rewards if Rundgren's advice is heeded and humanity embraces a
post-carbon, post-industrial culture.' 
