Living like Ewoks?
LONDON - Recession. Recession. RECESSION. Re-cession. How’s my hairline? In a state of recession. Turn on the radio – recession. Go online – recession.
So, yeah – in case you’ve been sealed in concrete for the past 6 months – we are, errrr… recessing. Ignoring the irony of complaining about blanket coverage by writing a post about it, let’s ask: what effect will this slump have on environmental choices?A few months ago soaring oil prices lead to positive signs for clean fuel investment. However, catastrophic economic meltdowns tend to dampen enthusiasm for speculating in clean tech – particularly when it’s unclear what the answer is in the sustainable fuel dilemma.
But here’s an interesting statistic: in 1991 high oil prices combined with a recession reduced USA carbon emissions by 1.1 percent. On the face of it, that seems pretty positive.
However, would you sacrifice investment in longer term solutions for a couple of years of slightly trimmed emissions? Particularly when we use 30 percent more resources than is sustainable. “Recession reduction” (as I have clumsily called it) seems to offer false hope - like a temporary gastric band on consumption’s obese stomach.
But the way forward for humanity isn’t to start living like Ewoks. A recession is a bad thing. Lots of people lose their jobs, industries disappear, pensions evaporate. Our over-consumption might be unsustainable, but that doesn’t mean that a harsh lesson in the limits of capitalism is the answer. More technology, not less, will ultimately save us.
Of course, my own buying choices will be affected as my wallet shrinks - and it wasn’t exactly a chubby purse to begin with. But, the question is, what purchases will make the cut in light of my new found frugality. Does the bio-degradable washing up liquid have to go? Is that overseas holiday now on hold till next year?
What about you? What money pressures would it take to make you compromise your principles, and what will be first to be sacrificed?
Do you think this recession is in fact a good thing for the environment? And, on an unrelated note, should we consider farming Ewoks for their meat?
