Comments on: Solutions

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:36:29 +0000

GDP is a notoriously blunt instrument for measuring progress, and the sooner we move beyond it the better. I was pleased to see the British government commissioning a complementary wellbeing index last year, that’s a positive step.

As for changing the message, yes, there needs to be a more balanced perspective. Warnings and dire prophesies don’t motivate people. We need more vision, a sense of possibility.

By: Bill Clarke

Bill Clarke — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:12:36 +0000

I am dubious about Larry’s statement that we need growth in GDP, if it is the type of growth which GDP measures that is destroying the planet because it is making too many demands upon natural resources.

A Genuine Progress Indicator makes a lot more sense. Presumably it would measure activities which are sustainable. Instead of, for example, burning fossil fuels we substitute renewable energy and thereby create more jobs and help the environment. The idea of putting PV on school roofs is the sort of thing we should be doing.

So there would still be growth but it wouldn’t be destructive as much growth is at present.

Should this affect our message to the general public? I have read some posts which indicate that a lot of erroneous ideas about us, for example, that we want a low standard of living and regress to a more primitive way of life. One said we shouldn’t be using computers because they are not sustainable.

It’s worth thinking about whether we should try to change this image.

By: Larry Furman

Larry Furman — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:29:13 +0000

Simply put, we need growth that increases GDP and Genuine Progress Indicator, GPI. Wars don’t do this. As President Bush demonstrated, wars create jobs that increase the deficit and deplete the economy by destroying capital, both human and physical. Investing in local clean, sustainable energy uses government spending today to build for the future.

Suppose we installed a 50 kilowatt photovoltaic solar array and a 2000 liter solar hot water heater on each of the 100,000 public schools in the USA. They would provide electricity and hot water without pollution. They would pay for themselves quickly, and last a long time – 25 to 40 years.