Stealing from the future (or how to destroy the planet in seven easy steps

[Clara T]

Stealing from the future (or how to destroy the planet in seven easy steps)

Parents in today's western societies are cheating their children by funding their own lifestyles from the future, says Ian Lowe, emeritus professor at Brisbane's Griffith University and president of the Australian Conservation Foundation.
In a powerful presentation to an international audience at the Global Mind, Global Soul, Global Action conference at Tamkang University in Taiwan, Professor Lowe emphasised that the future is not somewhere we are going, but something we are creating.
"There are many possible futures.  We should be trying to establish a future that can be sustained, even if not for the four to five million years that the earth is expected to last.   Not doing that is selling short our children by funding our lifestyles from the future."

Taking an unusual approach, Professor Lowe then set out to describe how one might go about destroying a planet, by destroying its future.

"We could start with exponential population growth.
"Then we could increase the rate of consumption per person. We could base our economy on consumption, stimulating consumption that is not necessary.  In fact, we could stimulate consumption by appealing to the seven deadly sins.  (Or, as Clive Hamilton puts it, we could use money we don't have to buy things we don't want to impress people we don't like.)

More:
http://www.futuresfoundation.org.au/Future-News/Features-%28General%29/Stealing-from-the-future-%28or-how-to-destroy-the-planet-in-seven-easy-steps%29-20060129246/

[necso]

1. Good piece. /nt

[Lorien]

2. Deserves a kick, and a reading from beginning to end. n/t