On sustainable growth

Conclusions at COP-17 in Durban, South Africa were meager. True, the Kyoto Protocol to combat greenhouse emissions is prolonged. And surely commitments have been made to get a binding environmental treaty operational by 2020. Even if this outlook becomes reality, it can be classified under the label of 'too little too late'. Besides, emerging economies like China and India remain averse to far-going and legally binding measures. The other champion of environmental pollution, the United States, would have to ratify any such agreement in Congress. I seriously doubt that with its economic power waning, the States will make ecological commitments.

Bridging leftist ideas on the capitalist economic system with
ecological approaches that take into consideration the well-
being of the planet, provide useful insights for our future.

Up till today politicians have handled a strange logic in dealing with the climate crisis: the economic environment is taken as given, and from thereon we see what green measures we might take. That's bullocks, you can't negotiate with the climate! We must take into consideration the boundaries of our planet's ecosystem - without compromise. And from thát point on we should investigate what economic model is suitable. This radical shift has to take place in our minds and the minds of our political leadership.

We need to put an end to the parasitic way in which our economy relates to the environment. On a global scale, the political level must interfere in the sphere of economics. The pattern of consumption among prosperous citizens needs to shift drastically; away from unnecessary waste and luxury and toward investment in a green revolution. Parallel to the sustainable switch a big push is needed to close the ever-widening gap between rich and poor. The reason for this is twofold:

(1) Poor strata in a world dominated by market forces are confronted with unequal access possibilities. They are cut of from land, food and water even though such vital resources are abundant. Indeed it can be proven that such shortages are caused by unequal access rather than objective scarcity. As a result poor people will resort to clearing forests, burning cheap coal, etc. - this further exploiting the planet.

(2) Rich strata will make brainless consumption choices. They waste money to unneeded stuff simply because to them the marginal gain of a single euro/dollar is low. If the money thrown away had been invested in alleviating poverty, it would have contributed to a socially and environmentally sustainable world.

The essence: welfare should on a global scale be invested in the shift toward an ecologically sustainable society, which includes closing the gap between rich and poor. More growth at expense of the planet (and the poor) is in the long run devastating. Growth shall be sustainable or it shall not be at all.