In Science for March 31, Norman Myers, an environmental scientist of Oxford university, reviews some of the problems the human race has encountered in trying to match its consumption of goods and services with the natural processes which govern the planet. He does not mince his words in insisting that we must drastically revise our patterns of consuming terrestrial assets in order to achieve all-round sustainability.
First we must recognise that our patterns of consumption will inevitably change as we enter the 21st century, if only in response to the impact of the surrounding environment, not least global warming, an alarming phenomenon which seems after long delays to be recognised by politicians and scientists. We have somehow to ensure that that the three billion people existing on the very lowest incomes can increase their consumption of food and other necessities, while the 800 million living in developing countries who possess the means should be enabled to benefit from their new-found affluence. The question is, how can this be achieved without disrupting global environmental systems?
If human communities were to utilise all the ecotechnologies already at hand, such as energy efficiency, pollution control by abolition of industrial and domestic emissions, waste management and recycling of materials, we should be able to enjoy twice as much material welfare with consumption of only half the existing quantity of natural resources.
Among other innovations we might abandon is the old concept of gross national product to assess our welfare in favour of net national product, which would take account of sustainability. The prices of goods should reflect all the social and environmental costs they involve. For example, the realistic pricing of petrol would restrain the excessive car culture we see about us and encourage public transport, thereby relieving road congestion and local pollution.
Then the scheme of subsidies for various industries encourages bad environmental practice and faulty energy alternatives. Misdirected subsidies at present promote the car culture, over-intensive agricultural practices, waste of valuable water, over-logging of forest trees, and over-harvesting of marine fisheries. They induce massive distortion of economics while at the same time injuring the environment.
Myers concludes that, however hard it may be to live with the suggested massive changes, it will not prove as hard in the long term as continuing to struggle in a world which becomes increasingly impoverished by environmental injuries inflicted by the consumption of natural resources at the present rate.