ESSAY: 'SUSTAINABLE' GROWTH

Lessons from the Past:
Sustainable Growth in the 21st century

Ricardo Segovia

All too often economic development is equated with human development. One of the possible means has usurped the end. We hear the metaphor of the rising tide floating all boats, while those who cannot afford the boats drown in the polluted waters of globalized capitalism. The type of economic development that is encouraged in this system is usually in direct competition with the land, water, and air that every living thing depends on. This stems from the irrational goal of never ending growth of consumption within a finite space. In this impossible equation it becomes necessary for the global citizen to regain possession of the words 'development' and 'sustainability' and re-define these with nature in mind. Indigenous societies that have sustained themselves by sustaining the environment now exist on the margins of the global economic system. However there are efforts underway to work within the system in order to reconcile economy and environment. Technology plays a significant but secondary role in this new economy and cannot simply act as a tool to accelerate consumption. The lasting solutions are internal. They consist of taking the attitudes of the Haida of British Columbia or the Mapuche of South America and applying them to our industrialized world.

QUESTIONING GROWTH

Monetary growth is a carefully constructed idea that has replaced any significant indicators of the health of our societies. This type of growth benefits those at the top of the financial pyramid who see their assets directly connected to this growth. As Naomi Klein describes in "The Shock Doctrine", many destructive events such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters can cause the economy to grow, which is little consolation for the families whose lives have been destroyed. This growth is fed by ever increasing consumption of resources and results in a contraction of the ecosystem. Growth, whether monetary or industrial, is a simplistic and shallow end goal. This kind of growth will inevitably have to reach its limit. For those in the Majority World, the growth of the north has always meant paying a high price in labour, resources, and pollution. Now, we may have already reached the point where, even in the north, the growth of the economy actually decreases our quality of life because of the toxic surroundings it creates.

TECHNOLOGY'S TROJAN HORSE

The belief that technology will be the magic bullet to solve our problems is pervasive, especially among my peers and professors of engineering. We already have all the technology we need but not the willingness to implement it within this exclusive economic system. The technologies that are free to flourish, such as Biofuels, Hybrids, and Genetic Engineering, are usually those that accelerate our ability to consume and extend the life of an unjust system.

Biofuels and nuclear power allow the continuation of our destructive lifestyle by creating an excess of energy beyond fossil fuels. Biofuels are also an example of the re-branding of destructive consumption. The name conjures up images of green fields and clean skies. In reality, the production of these fuels competes with food production, displaces populations, and provides a free ticket to pollute by creating 'carbon credits' for other industrial production. Hybrid vehicles help cleans our conscience(or carbon guilt) without affecting our individualistic approach to transportation. Looking at the production, lifetime, and disposal of all the materials used in these vehicles reveals the true cost to the environment.

Genetic engineering is less about saving starving people than it is about power. The patents on genetically modified seed give unprecedented control of food production to trans-national corporations. Even when the technology seems beneficial, such as vitamin enriched vegetables, access remains limited and expensive to those that need it most. In many cases, varied local production is replaced by monocultures that the locals refer to as "green deserts". Technology has its place in sustainable development, but can be destructive when used to defuse the urgency of necessary change or to sustain existing power structures.

LIVING EXAMPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY

"Oh, Great Spirit, who's voice I hear in the wind… Make my hands respect the things you have made… I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy, Myself." (Lakota Prayer)

This prayer reflects an attitude that is common among indigenous groups all over the world. It is an approach with deep reverence for nature like that of the Iroquois who look seven generations ahead when considering natural resources. Human beings are placed within nature rather then being in competition with nature. At the same time it is important not to place the Lakota, Mapuche, and Iroquois in some exotic framework of mystic rituals that is separate from our industrialized reality. Their societies must be seen as products of their dependence on nature for thousands of years; an evolution of values based on lasting survival which can be applied to any society. A striking characteristic of indigenous societies is that growth is never mentioned. Something so indispensable in western culture doesn't even exist in cultures that have sustained themselves for so long. The emphasis is on finding an existence in equilibrium with nature, not endless expansion.

NEW VERSIONS OF OLD VISIONS

As much as I would enjoy a simple life in harmony with the land, it is not realistic to expect the world to follow this example. We do not need to imitate the lifestyle of the rural Basotho people or tribes of the Amazon in order to sustain the environment. Instead, we need to take their philosophy towards the environment and apply it to any culture, industrialized or not.

On this interconnected planet the practices of destructive consumption are creeping into previously sustainable societies. The lure of cell phones and vehicles is understandable. Unindustrialized societies cannot be expected to resist these technologies for the good of the planet when Europe and North America had the luxury of developing in this comfort in the 20th century. The solution is to help these societies industrialize in a sustainable way and to take inspiration from indigenous practice. This approach was introduced during the climate talks in Copenhagen. According to Angelica Navarro, Bolivia's climate negotiator, rich nations are responsible for the vast majority of pollution and they should pay a 'climate debt' to those countries that want to develop sustainably. This is where simple technology can play a role in providing clean energy in the form of solar, tidal, geothermal, and wind energy rather than using the same destructive methods as the north.

This seemingly new approach coming out of Bolivia originates in the Andean belief of Sumaq kawsay (Living well). This kind of development separates itself from economic growth and focuses instead of human growth, spiritual growth, and taking care of Mother Earth (New Internationalist, 2010). Bolivia is an example of how sustainable indigenous practice can fit into a 21st century context. By taking the knowledge and philosophy of those that have lived sustainably historically and introducing some simple technology, the Majority World can be an example of sustainable development. The wisdom of the past is speaking up, and the industrialized world needs to start listening.

Works Cited

New Internationalist. 2010. To Live…. NI 430, March 2010. UK.