Art of household management

October 27, 2011 10:48 AM

A Planetary Crisis Is A Terrible Thing to Waste There are striking similarities between the current economic and ecological crises — both involve indulgent over-consumption and a failure to consider the impacts on future generations. But it’s not too late to look to new economic and environmental models and to dramatically change course. opines Der Spiegel environmental journalist, Christian Schwägerl
posted by infini (17 comments total)

Doomsaying tends to discourage people from looking for ways of addressing the problem. Please avoid it.
posted by LogicalDash at 10:50 AM on October 27, 2011

There's a difference between a failure to consider the impacts on future generations, and - having considered - a conscious choice to just not give a shit about said impact.

Pretty sure that both the current economic and ecological crises are the latter, not the former.
posted by Ryvar at 10:52 AM on October 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

The economic crisis wasn't caused by people in the past, it was caused by people in the present. I guess the ecological one is a crisis in time while the economic one is a crisis in space.
posted by DU at 11:02 AM on October 27, 2011

At this point there is no way to avoid climate change, it is happening, it will continue to happen. We can make choices to ameliorate the effect down the road, but frankly, I am pessimistic those changes will come fast enough for significant impact. Democracy is a fantastic form of government if people act semi-rationally. People are not terribly rational creatures though, and resist change with a vengeance. Given enough time yeah we can make dramatic shifts in thought and action, but where we are now? Yeah... that should have been where wee where in 1985
posted by edgeways at 11:07 AM on October 27, 2011

until the energy crisis is connected to the economic crisis in the public consciousness, there will be no change.

Are We Reaching “Limits to Growth?"

An apocalyptic end to world’s biggest bubble

European Debt Crisis and Sustainability

Water use rising faster than world population

if we had the resource capacity to grow ourselves out of all this debt, OWS wouldn't be happening. but whatever. CHRISTMAS WALMART 2011 CADILLAC ESCALADE AMERICA
posted by ninjew at 11:10 AM on October 27, 2011 [3 favorites]

until the energy crisis is connected to the economic crisis in the public consciousness, there will be no change.

And until both of those are connected to the population size.
posted by DU at 11:29 AM on October 27, 2011

And until both of those are connected to the population size.

Pareto's principle in practice regarding the issues of economic and ecological resource allocation decries this version of the current crisis. I'd take a closer look at some of the assumptions these conjectures and projections are based on - remember the OMG 2 billion more cars scare of a few years ago when the Tata Nano was launched? Maybe not everyone will end up in the two car McMansion nor do they want one - and if they that's what they aspire towards, then take a closer look at what or who created / planted that aspiration/dream in their heads in the first place?
posted by infini at 11:41 AM on October 27, 2011

And until both of those are connected to the population size.

Never mind that the U.S has 5% of the world's population and 18% of it's greenhouse gas emissions. Only China, with 4 times the population emits more. India emits about 1/3rd as much CO2 despite having over a billion people.

So let's not pretend "population" is the problem here.
posted by delmoi at 11:50 AM on October 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

I keep meaning to watch that Kevin Costner documentary on how to deal with this, but I heard it involves drinking urine and I put it off. Also, I don't have the webbing between my digits, and figure that'll leave me at a real disadvantage.
posted by el riesgo sempre vive at 11:58 AM on October 27, 2011

then there is his "acting".. lord, Costner makes Harrison Ford look positively emotive.
posted by edgeways at 12:26 PM on October 27, 2011

delmoi you don't understand, the problem is that i hate everyone because im an angry frustrated dude, and since i am the world that is the problem with the world
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 1:10 PM on October 27, 2011

Oh lord, Disaster Environmentalism? The Shock Doctrine was a warning, not an instruction book.
posted by zabuni at 1:41 PM on October 27, 2011

Oh lord, Disaster Environmentalism? The Shock Doctrine was a warning, not an instruction book.

So we should avoid advocating for radical action to avert catastrophic climate change in order to preserve the ideological integrity of one book's thesis that only bad people advocate for radical action in times of crisis?

Another generation of the climate-altering status quo - because Naomi Klein's publicist would want it that way.
posted by gompa at 2:31 PM on October 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

let's not pretend "population" is the problem here.

Let's also remember than more than half the food grown on this planet is inedible for humans and fed to livestock. We haven't even come close to being efficient on this planet.
posted by mrgrimm at 3:00 PM on October 27, 2011

I keep meaning to watch that Kevin Costner documentary on how to deal with this, but I heard it involves drinking urine and I put it off.

Oh please. Urine is like 95 percent water, you just drink around the floaty bits.
posted by tumid dahlia at 3:54 PM on October 27, 2011

Maybe the problem is population + mass consumption philosophy. That seems to align with the data
posted by Redhush at 9:12 AM on October 29, 2011

Maybe the problem is population + mass consumption philosophy. That seems to align with the data

I'd tweak this just lightly - the attempt to push mass consumption philosophy onto larger adn larger volumes of people and the inevitable results
posted by infini at 9:24 AM on October 29, 2011