EARTH MEANDERS

Economic Collapse and Global Ecology

by: Dr.Glen Barry

Given widespread failure to pursue policies sufficient to
reverse deterioration of the biosphere and avoid ecological
collapse, the best we can hope for may be that the growth-
based economic system crashes sooner rather than later

Humanity and the Earth are faced with an enormous conundrum --
sufficient climate policies enjoy political support only in
times of rapid economic growth. Yet this growth is the primary
factor driving greenhouse gas emissions and other
environmental ills. The growth machine has pushed the planet
well beyond its ecological carrying capacity, and unless
constrained, can only lead to human extinction and an end to
complex life.

With every economic downturn, like the one now looming in the
United States, it becomes more difficult and less likely that
policy sufficient to ensure global ecological sustainability
will be embraced. This essay explores the possibility that
from a biocentric viewpoint of needs for long-term global
ecological, economic and social sustainability; it would be
better for the economic collapse to come now rather than
later.

Economic growth is a deadly disease upon the Earth, with
capitalism as its most virulent strain. Throw-away consumption
and explosive population growth are made possible by using up
fossil fuels and destroying ecosystems. Holiday shopping
numbers are covered by media in the same breath as Arctic ice
melt, ignoring their deep connection. Exponential economic
growth destroys ecosystems and pushes the biosphere closer to
failure.

Humanity has proven itself unwilling and unable to address
climate change and other environmental threats with necessary
haste and ambition. Action on coal, forests, population,
renewable energy and emission reductions could be taken now at
net benefit to the economy. Yet, the losers -- primarily
fossil fuel industries and their bought oligarchy --
successfully resist futures not dependent upon their deadly
products.

Perpetual economic growth, and necessary climate and other
ecological policies, are fundamentally incompatible. Global
ecological sustainability depends critically upon establishing
a steady state economy, whereby production is right-sized to
not diminish natural capital. Whole industries like coal and
natural forest logging will be eliminated even as new
opportunities emerge in solar energy and environmental
restoration.

This critical transition to both economic and ecological
sustainability is simply not happening on any scale. The
challenge is how to carry out necessary environmental policies
even as economic growth ends and consumption plunges. The
natural response is going to be liquidation of even more life-
giving ecosystems, and jettisoning of climate policies, to
vainly try to maintain high growth and personal consumption.

We know that humanity must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by
at least 80% over coming decades. How will this and other
necessary climate mitigation strategies be maintained during
years of economic downturns, resource wars, reasonable demands
for equitable consumption, and frankly, the weather being more
pleasant in some places? If efforts to reduce emissions and
move to a steady state economy fail; the collapse of
ecological, economic and social systems is assured.

Bright greens take the continued existence of a habitable
Earth with viable, sustainable populations of all species
including humans as the ultimate truth and the meaning of
life. Whether this is possible in a time of economic collapse
is crucially dependent upon whether enough ecosystems and
resources remain post collapse to allow humanity to recover
and reconstitute sustainable, relocalized societies.

It may be better for the Earth and humanity's future that
economic collapse comes sooner rather than later, while more
ecosystems and opportunities to return to nature's fold exist.
Economic collapse will be deeply wrenching -- part Great
Depression, part African famine. There will be starvation and
civil strife, and a long period of suffering and turmoil.

Many will be killed as balance returns to the Earth. Most
people have forgotten how to grow food and that their identity
is more than what they own. Yet there is some justice, in that
those who have lived most lightly upon the land will have an
easier time of it, even as those super-consumers living in
massive cities finally learn where their food comes from and
that ecology is the meaning of life. Economic collapse now
means humanity and the Earth ultimately survive to prosper
again.

Human suffering -- already the norm for many, but hitting the
currently materially affluent -- is inevitable given the
degree to which the planet's carrying capacity has been
exceeded. We are a couple decades at most away from societal
strife of a much greater magnitude as the Earth's biosphere
fails. Humanity can take the bitter medicine now, and recover
while emerging better for it; or our total collapse can be a
final, fatal death swoon.

A successful revolutionary response to imminent global
ecosystem collapse would focus upon bringing down the Earth's
industrial economy now. As society continues to fail miserably
to implement necessary changes to allow creation to continue,
maybe the best strategy to achieve global ecological
sustainability is economic sabotage to hasten the day. It is
more fragile than it looks.

Humanity is a marvelous creation. Yet her current dilemma is
unprecedented. It is not yet known whether she is able to
adapt, at some expense to her comfort and short-term well-
being, to ensure survival. If she can, all futures of
economic, social and ecological collapse can be avoided. If
not it is better from a long-term biocentric viewpoint that
the economic growth machine collapse now, bringing forth the
necessary change, and offering hope for a planetary and human
revival.

I wish no harm to anyone, and want desperately to avoid these
prophesies foretold by ecological science. I speak for the
Earth, for despite being the giver of life, her natural voice
remains largely unheard over the tumult of the end of being.

January 12, 2008