Arguments against zero growth - in random order - as encountered in discussions
Zero growth is either unnecessary, undesirable or impossible,
for the following reasons:
- Services - We are changing towards a services society. Growth can be decoupled from the use of materials and be dematerialized. Not really, because...
- Welfare - Growth is indispenable for the welfare of humanity...
.
- Jobs - We need growth to create more jobs...
.
- Enough space and food for more people - The world can still feed some more billions of people and there is still sufficient space. Can we cater for more people...
- If we all restraint ourselves a little bit we will manage.
- Balancing the north and the south requires Growth.
- But you can't prohibit the poor getting a better life; there exists a large need to catch up.
- We need the balance between the economy, the social and the environment.
- The decoupling of energy consumption and growth is happening.
- The market will provide the solution.
- Eco-efficiency and recycling are increasingly used.
- Technological solutions exist; the energy companies are hiding them.
- Humans are creative. We will surely find the solution.
- Alternative energies are progressing; we have to do more research.
- Renewable energies will meet our requirements to a large extent.
- Science will surely discover new energy sources.
- Our children have to find and apply the solutions.
- We urgently have to educate our children to protect the environment.
- We have the planets and space as further resources and we can emigrate there.
- A little bit warmer is not at all bad, for various reasons.
- It is not alarming; there are still many uncertainties; nothing has been proven.
- There have always been climate variations.
- You are a pessimist; one has to be hopeful.
- In 1972 the Club of Rome predicted resources would run out very soon and they were wrong.
- Humanity has always found a way out.
- We should but people won't do it; we first have to suffer.
- But you can't...
- It's difficult...
- One should first start over there (with the others, with the other problem).
- Humanity will die out one day anyway.
- Nature is better off without people.
- The earth and life on it will die one day.
- "Does the human species really have to survive?" Yes, because...
- Life is a cycle and humanity is a passing period. After humanity, the earth will be green again.
- We are already doing a lot. We are on the right track.
- International conferences and decisions are required. Alone we can't do anything.
- It's the fault of the consumers, the politicians, the Chinese, multinational corporations, etc..
- Zero growth is illusionary since growth is a biological need wanting always more; wir are programmed is this way.
- Even if zero growth would be law, people would nevertheless cheat.
- You are a communist.
- That requires a system change, a dictatorship.
- The individual is powerless. Anyway we can do nothing
- My family is more important to me than big politics.
- I don't care about politics.
- I believe in the Good Lord and therefore I don't have to worry.
- We can't take away the hope from the people.
- We can't and we won't start picturing economic growth as a bad thing.
- We need growth for our children because I have suffered hunger when I was little.
- According to Kuznets from a certain point onward the environmental impact becomes a relatively lesser percetage of each unit of GDP... or? (Also compare 1.1 Die Hypothese der Kuznets Curve (EKC) and Gruhl chapter 3 (German))
- That is a difficult question (the physical limits of the planet and the impossibility of so-called "sustainable growth") that cannot be answered today (here, now)... or...?
- But we can't start killing billions of people. Certainly not,...
- Growth can continue provided environmental costs are internalised in the prices of goods and services. But,...
- The population question is unethical.
Really?...
- and so on...
Write us your argument or opinion
"As beautiful as our dreams may be, reality is here!" (Charles de Gaulle)
d |
f |
e
Herman Daly and a discussion on various "Growth" definitions
growth discussion
Motivation (environmental psychology)
|