Think Outside the Box

According to Clapp and Dauvergne, Market liberals believe that economic growth is necessary to maintain progress and sustainable development. They believe through economic growth, more money is made, and can be used towards cleaner energy, conservation and other environment-improving methods. They are not concerned about the depletion of resources or the billions of more people that will be added to this earth because science and human ingenuity can solve all problems.

Social Greens are quite the opposite, believing that industrialization, capitalism, and overconsumption are the causes of environmental degradation and social inequalities. They call for a regression from industrial life to small self-sufficient communities.

The article, “Economies Just Can’t keep Growing,” by Thomas Homer-Dixon is coming from a social green perspective as it argues that resource depletion and environmental constraints will slow economic growth. Market liberals however do not see these as issues, believing that technological changes can always shift necessities elsewhere.

Homer-Dixon points out a clear catch 22 that he believes we are currently facing. He says the economy must grow to support the growing population and thus must burn more fossil fuels. He then says burning fossil fuels is contributing tremendously to climate change and could most likely stop economic progress. He says "humankind is in a box" but I think he needs to think a little outside of the box. Homer-Dixon does not take into account any path towards greener technology. He simply says that there is no way of avoiding the environmental crisis. Maybe it is just my market liberal side talking, or just the side that doesn’t want to be scared into a corner, but I believe there are definite probable ways--through innovative technology-- that can contribute to economic growth as well as a lessening of Carbon Dioxide emissions and environmental degradation. Human history has had a trend of adaptability and although I believe the environment is in dire need, I do not believe we cannot dig ourselves out of this dilemma.