RAH - The main points I wanted to make on BBC Radio 4's Home Planet programme about the "Sustainability Problem"

THE MAIN POINTS I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ABOUT THE "ROOT CAUSE" OF THE "SUSTAINABILITY PROBLEM"

Root cause of the "Sustainability Problem" (which includes global warming) is an ever-increasing population, on our finite and vulnerable planet, of technologically empowered but essentially insatiable human beings, still dominated by their animal nature, which free-market capitalism developed - naturally enough - to serve and exploit.

The problem is that because, from birth, we are ALL totally immersed in, familiar with and dependent on our economy, and the way of life it engenders, pretty much as they are, it is virtually impossible - not least, because of the anxiety it would cause - to recognise their inherent non-sustainability.

Human emotions and behaviour evolved over millions of years to serve the individual and their family group in the struggle for survival and advantage in the "natural environment" (which also included other, rival, groups of humans). They have had no time to adapt to the artificial, "socio-economic environment" which, with the advent of civilisation, replaced it as the focus of our continuing Darwinian struggle, and which free-market capitalism developed to facilitate.

This is why we cannot help but give priority to economics (the household of man in the artificial, "socio-economic environment"), instead of to ecology (the household of our planet in the natural environment), despite it being obvious (were we not blinded by familiarity and dependency) that human survival now urgently demands the opposite.

Politics and economics are not lacking a certain, small amount of "enlightened" human self-interest (e.g. world leaders are now genuinely concerned about global warming etc.), but they are dominated, nevertheless, by dumb-animal (not very enlightened) self-interest, which is primarily concerned with the pursuit of personal advantage and POWER. In the natural environment, where human behaviour evolved, this is what served an individual best, but in the artificial, socio-economic environment in which we now live - and, greatly facilitated by free-market capitalism, CONTINUE our Darwinian struggle for survival and advantage - it is driving us towards self-destruction.

MONEY, it is important to recognize, is by far the most important and versatile form of POWER in the socio-economic environment, which is why politicians and economists are so keen on economic growth, but blinded to its incompatibility with sustainability by their big "prime-ape" brain's prodigious (animal) intelligence and ability to rationalize away what it doesn't want to see.

Our only hope for the future is - for some of us, at least - to recognise the hopelessness of our current situation and the root cause of it. Once we have done that, we can begin to make plans for creating an ALTERNATIVE socio-economic order, rooted, not in our animal nature, but in our more enlightened, human nature.

The existing socio-economic order - because of our dependency on it, and being so deeply rooted in our animal nature - is effectively unreformable, thus the ALTERNATIVE needs to be created within, but distinct from and increasingly independent of it. As it grows and ever more people recognise what is at stake (for their children and grandchildren), they will be able to transfer, bit by bit - when they are ready and at their own pace - their activities, dependencies and vested interests to it. Any coercion or finger pointing will simply provoke the resistance of our animal nature and be counterproductive. It will just be a matter of getting on with it, setting a good example and hoping that others are inspired to do the same (currently, virtually all politicians and media pundits, despite usually meaning well, are primarily concerned with maintaining their own niches in the existing socio-economic environment and can be ignored).

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FURTHER POINTS

We don't experience reality itself, but an interpretation of it, produced by our brains and adapted to conform with the view we already have of the world. It is massively influenced by our dependencies, allegiances and vested interests. The view we have of the economy and our way of life is no exception, and because we depend on them so much, we are not inclined to entertain any ideas that might seriously undermine it.

We are totally dependent on (quite literally, addicted to) an inherently unsustainable, growth-dependent economy and the grossly materialistic lifestyles (and lifestyle aspirations) it engenders.

My Homepage: http://www.spaceship-earth.org

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To: Home Planet, BBC Radio 4 Re: The main points I wanted to make about the "Sustainability Problem" Date: Tuesday 30 January 07

In response to BBC Radio 4's Home Planet request for questions, I sent in the questions I'd already formulated for the participants of the meeting of world leaders in Davos relating to THEIR personal ecological footprints and carbon emissions: Two questions I would like to put to the participants at this year's Davos Meeting. The Producer of Home Planet emailed me to say that they would use my questions on the next programme and be phoning me to ask about the main point I wanted to make. I formulated the following and emailed it to him. THE MAIN POINTS I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ABOUT THE "ROOT CAUSE" OF THE "SUSTAINABILITY PROBLEM" Root cause of the "Sustainability Problem" (which includes global warming) is an ever-increasing population, on our finite and vulnerable planet, of technologically empowered but essentially insatiable human beings, still dominated by their animal nature, which free-market capitalism developed - naturally enough - to serve and exploit. The problem is that because, from birth, we are ALL totally immersed in, familiar with and dependent on our economy, and the way of life it engenders, pretty much as they are, it is virtually impossible - not least, because of the anxiety it would cause - to recognise their inherent non-sustainability. Human emotions and behaviour evolved over millions of years to serve the individual and their family group in the struggle for survival and advantage in the "natural environment" (which also included other, rival, groups of humans). They have had no time to adapt to the artificial, "socio-economic environment" which, with the advent of civilisation, replaced it as the focus of our continuing Darwinian struggle, and which free-market capitalism developed to facilitate. This is why we cannot help but give priority to economics (the household of man in the artificial, "socio-economic environment"), instead of to ecology (the household of our planet in the natural environment), despite it being obvious (were we not blinded by familiarity and dependency) that human survival now urgently demands the opposite. Politics and economics are not lacking a certain, small amount of "enlightened" human self-interest (e.g. world leaders are now genuinely concerned about global warming etc.), but they are dominated, nevertheless, by dumb-animal (not very enlightened) self-interest, which is primarily concerned with the pursuit of personal advantage and POWER. In the natural environment, where human behaviour evolved, this is what served an individual best, but in the artificial, socio-economic environment in which we now live - and, greatly facilitated by free-market capitalism, CONTINUE our Darwinian struggle for survival and advantage - it is driving us towards self-destruction. MONEY, it is important to recognize, is by far the most important and versatile form of POWER in the socio-economic environment, which is why politicians and economists are so keen on economic growth, but blinded to its incompatibility with sustainability by their big "prime-ape" brain's prodigious (animal) intelligence and ability to rationalize away what it doesn't want to see. Our only hope for the future is - for some of us, at least - to recognise the hopelessness of our current situation and the root cause of it. Once we have done that, we can begin to make plans for creating an ALTERNATIVE socio-economic order, rooted, not in our animal nature, but in our more enlightened, human nature. The existing socio-economic order - because of our dependency on it, and being so deeply rooted in our animal nature - is effectively unreformable, thus the ALTERNATIVE needs to be created within, but distinct from and increasingly independent of it. As it grows and ever more people recognise what is at stake (for their children and grandchildren), they will be able to transfer, bit by bit - when they are ready and at their own pace - their activities, dependencies and vested interests to it. Any coercion or finger pointing will simply provoke the resistance of our animal nature and be counterproductive. It will just be a matter of getting on with it, setting a good example and hoping that others are inspired to do the same (currently, virtually all politicians and media pundits, despite usually meaning well, are primarily concerned with maintaining their own niches in the existing socio-economic environment and can be ignored). ********************************* FURTHER POINTS We don't experience reality itself, but an interpretation of it, produced by our brains and adapted to conform with the view we already have of the world. It is massively influenced by our dependencies, allegiances and vested interests. The view we have of the economy and our way of life is no exception, and because we depend on them so much, we are not inclined to entertain any ideas that might seriously undermine it. We are totally dependent on (quite literally, addicted to) an inherently unsustainable, growth-dependent economy and the grossly materialistic lifestyles (and lifestyle aspirations) it engenders. My Homepage: http://www.spaceship-earth.org Home Planet website Home