ecology discovery foundation ecoglobe

Helmut E. Lubbers BE MsocSc DipEcol 14 Boulevard Carl-Vogt CH-1205 Genève / Genf Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera	Phone +41 22 3212320 SMS +41 76 79 224 87 helmutecoglobe.ch www.ecoglobe.org www.ecoglobe.ch
Genève, 25 January 2015 Lu/rs/mpol5125	ecoglobe, 14 bd. Carl-Vogt, CH-1205 Genève Opene Letter to Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin, Barak Obama, Li-Keqiang and other people in power positions, including their advisors and the media.

BAU accelerates resource depletion and our speed to the end of mankind.

1. What is "BAU"? Business as usual is continued economic growth, unfettered population growth. The rationale for growth is "jobs" and "eradicating poverty". Population is a taboo.
    
2. What is "Sustainability"? A society is sustainable if its lifestyles, i.e. its modes of production and consumption, can be carried on unchanged for a very long time, for many generations. Since the earth is not flat, resources are not endless, and almost all our resources are non-renewable, we are depleting the natural capital we depend on. We're not living sustainably. At present depletion rates scientists fear that humanity will be on the Post-Peak-Oil Downslope around 2030. So-called "renewable energy" cannot replace oil and natural gas, neither in quality nor in quantity.
   Kindly consider that resources is not only fossil energy, and that technology cannot revive extinct species, recreate depleted resources (minerals, fossil water, arable land), or undo pollution (greenhouse gases, ocean acidification, etc.). The climate change discussions are grossly inadequate, counting on illusionary technologies but not addressing the core problem of growth.
    
3. What are globalisation and "free trade"? It's a trajectory to the lowest common denominator of social and environmental conditions. After World War 2 the industrialised countries gradually expatriated their manufacturing industries to cheaper countries. As long as they still produce products that development countries wanted and could afford, the resulting unemployment at home was compensated one way or another.
   "Free trade" and lacking regulation allowed to increase the porfit margins and evade taxation, which led to huge wealth gaps between people and countries - part of the discussion at this year's Davos meeting. Today we are facing resource scarcities. This means the end of growth, and increasingly wars for the remaining "stuff".
    
4. What is our Economy? It's transforming and depleting resources into products in order to earn money for a living. Money buys food, clothes, shelter, and (some) goodies of modern life. That's why "growth" is being promoted. But growth is not the same as jobs, and it's not required for jobs. Actually, jobs will eventuate automatically to supply goods for a growing population, provided their are sufficient resources. With diminishing resources our economy will start to fail. Lacking fossil fuels will bring globalisation to a halt. Localised economies cannot be sustained for lack of imported food and resources.
    
5. Can technology and innovation generate sustainable bio-fuel solutions? No. Bio-fuels are by its very nature not sustainable, nor will hoped-for next-generation bio-fuels be sustainable. Technology increases the efficiency of resource use and increases the speed of resource depletion. Gains by efficiency increases are lost by the rebound effect and continued economic expansion and population growth. Technology cannot recreate depleted resources, destroyed forests or undo climate change. Nor can it revive extinct species. The biomass that is available in the form of planted forests in our northern countries will be needed for heating rather than for transportation bio-fuels. Innovation is the hope for new technology. Hope for future solutions cannot replace concrete action in the present.
    
6. Can certification of bio-fuels help to make bio-fuels sustainable? No. Certification is a feel-good activity that tries to make the impossible possible. No label or certificate will be able to dissolve the food-or-fuel dilemma. Bio-fuels belong to the trio of hope, optimism and technology that prevent us to work with the means we have whilst hoping for future solutions and continuing growth.

ecology discovery foundation ecoglobe
Wellington, 25 January 2015 - Ref.: Lu/rs/oloplmm   Media information Embargo 20 January 2015	ecology discovery foundation new zealand (charitable trust) P.O. Box 24184, Wellington/NZ Telephone: +64 - 4 - 3843269 Fax: +64 - 4 - 3898922 Email: welcome@ecoglobe.org.nz Web site: www.ecoglobe.org.nz ecoglobe™ registered trademark [current contact data]

Green Futures Presentations and No-Questions/No-Answers Session

Followed by reception