Is Our World Sustainable, or are We Consuming our Future.
As we pause from the frenetic activity of another year, and reflect on the year ahead, it is useful to reflect on how we as a global population are positioned in terms of our resources and environment.
As we do this some concerning trends come to light.
And, questions begin to form. Or should.
Are our consumer driven lifestyles sustainable?
How are we managing and using the resources at our disposal?
What are we leaving behind for subsequent generations?
There is nothing wrong with consuming the resources of our generation. But many of the resources we use are finite, so what if we are in fact consuming our successors resources? What if we are leaving behind us a legacy of debt and resource shortages?
Often people take a long-term view of, say, 20-30 years. But what are the generations ahead going to contend with in 1000 years time if we misuse what we are custodians of today.
A study of International Monetary Fund figures and known demographic and global financial data of the world for the past 110 years reveals some very salient facts & trends.
If we look at Global Population (GP), World Trade Value (WTV) (Normalized to 1990 $US) and the Consumer Technology Invention & Development for Personal Use (CTID), the numbers come up as follows:
|
Year |
GP (Billion) | WTV (Trillion) | CTID |
|
1900 |
1.8 | 1.3 | 1,000 |
| 1960 | 3.9 | 5.8 |
4,000 |
| 2010 | 7.0 | 55.0 |
141,000 |
It is readily apparent that our consumption of consumer goods is growing at an exponential rate. The obvious question that arises is: can this be sustained, and for how long?
Yes, we absolutely do need to farm, harvest, mine and produce in order to maintain and provide for our people.
But we also do need to consider the generations ahead when we use these resources, when we manage the waste products and debt that is created in the process.
Effectively, we are merely stewards, custodians of the world we inhabit, holding it in trust for the generations to come, so let’s ensure that we manage it well and hand it on in good condition.
Let’s aim to hand it on in at least as good shape as we inherited it, or better.
Authors Neil Findlay with Andreas Helwig.
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