Green Capitalism - Waves of the Future
Climate Change, Non-Renewable Resources, Energy, Contaminants, Carbon Pricing...The 21st Century Environmental Revolution
Electric Cars, Hybrid Vehicles, Smart-Grid Technology
Automobile Industry Changes for the Future
The Single-Passenger Electric Vehicle (SPV) Green Transportation Revolution: The Smart Grid and Pollution-Free Urban Commuting
Overview Reviews
See also Book II of the Waves of the Future Series
CONCLUSION & BIBLIOGRAPHY
Conclusion: Getting It Together
Broadly speaking, there are two main ways to address environmental problems. We can reduce consumption or adopt a greening strategy—making what we produce and consume more environment friendly. Both can be equally effective.The problem with decreasing total consumption is that it calls for a reduction in economic growth, which would mean unemployment and be politically unpopular. Few would support that option at the moment, especially in a context where many countries are still poor.
The GEE would not reduce consumption but make the products we buy greener. It would shift markets away from goods that are unenvironmental. As such, economies could continue to grow and eventually do so in a sustainable way.
Whether they do or not would depend on the strength of implementation of the GEE and on how much greening occurs as a result. Current efforts are not enough. Low GEE levels would not allow for sustainable growth either. Appropriate taxation rates would have to be implemented.
Population growth increases total consumption. If that problem is not addressed, even a powerful strategy such as the GEE may not be able to cope in the future. The equation is simple: more people equals more consumption and pressure on resources. The GEE will only be able to provide for sustainable growth and the improvement of standards of living in the future if the world population is brought under control and the number of people on the planet begins to drop.
There is no question that we need an environmental revolution. Incremental change does not cut it. There is no question that the sooner we start, and the faster we can make it happen, the better. The trillions of dollars' worth of incentive created by the shift to dual-purpose taxation would be a powerful engine capable of bringing about the environmental revolution we need and of placing us into the very midst of the Fourth Wave.
It is really up to us. Baby boomers and post-boomers must join hands in the fight for their own as well as their children's future. This world is ours to make. We have the means, the numbers, and the engine of change.
The New Lifestyles
The GEE would redefine the world we live in. It would change the very structure in which businesses operate. Everybody would have a vested interest in shifting to greener habits, pursuing greener ways, and developing greener products.The scientific breakthroughs and economic performance of the 20th century have led us to expect unlimited growth and a perpetual bettering of lifestyles. However, part of the prodigious productivity we have experienced so far was derived from fossil fuels, a bountiful and cheap source of energy. Another part resulted from our reckless depletion of resources that are not renewable. Those were and are used as if they are available in infinite supply.
The era of plenty is coming to an end in both cases. The oil crises we have been experiencing are only the first signs of what awaits us down the road. When scarcity hits other minerals, there will be no second chance.
We have made too little headway in solving many of the problems of the last century. We need to do better.
Final Words
With a revenue-neutral Green Economic Environment strategy, we no longer have an excuse not to move ahead with an aggressive conservation and environmental agenda. It is now up to us—baby boomers, post-boomers, voters, and consumers—to choose the world we want to live in, to choose our legacy.It is time for change.
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