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8/8/2019 The Transition to the Sustainable Economy
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Gabriel GerzonMarianne RomanoMCC240Journalism & SocietyNovember 2nd, 2009
The Transition to the Sustainable Economy
Sustainable Economy: an economic system that meets the needs of its current members
without compromising the prospects of future generations.1
Surprisingly enough, insights into the shift of consciousness necessary for a
transition to a sustainable socioeconomic system can be found in a small, independent
country that rests in the mountains of the Himalayas and carries a Gross Domestic
Product (hereafter, GDP) of only one tenth the United States.2 In 2008, Bhutan became
the first country to implement an alternative socioeconomic index to GDP by adopting
the guiding principle of Gross National Happiness (hereafter, GNH). Its cheeky name
notwithstanding, it is no gimmick; the Bhutanese are dead serious about quantifying
happiness to improve the lives of its citizens and future generations.
Just as the U.S. sends out enumerators to collect data once a decade for the
Census, Bhutanese social workers collect data from each family using a scientific survey
designed to quantify their quality of life. The nine dimensions collected through the
survey are: time use, living standards, good governance, psychological well-being,
community fatality, culture, health, education and ecology. The answers provided on
survey translate into scores for these dimensions, which is then adapted into
quantifiable indicators of well-being.3
For all of the Wests supposed lifestyle superiority, the United States ranked only
16th in world happiness in 2008 according to the World Values Survey reported in the
Perspectives on Psychological Science. Whatever one may make of Bhutans system,
there is no doubt it offers an alternative to the Wests short-term, profit driven economic
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system that has proved its instability and inherent deficiency with the economic collapse
of 2008. Rather than pursue the Wests impersonal and untenable concept of growth and
development, the Bhutanese government has decided to be accountable first and foremost
to the happiness of its own citizenry. One astounding short-term result of the changeover
was the abdication of the kings throne in favor of a parliamentary democracy because
the indictors gleaned from the GNH suggested that democracy would make people
happier, and thus improve productivity.4 Bhutan has showed the developed world that
alternative, sustainable paradigms do exist.
Admittedly, it would be both economic and political suicide to adopt such an
index any time soon in the West. There are, however, real lessons to be draw from the
Bhutanese to help realize Sir Nicholas Sterns vision for a transformation of the Wests
sociopolitical-economic system. As Albert Einstein once said, No problem can be
solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. In a sustainable economy
then, economic well-being cannot solely be determined and reported to the public by
environmentally indifferent barometers such as GDP and the Dow Jones average. The
priority shift necessary to abate climate change is not widely disseminated though by the
media with its constrained mentality on reporting business and climate. As just one of
many examples, the major news channels hailed the Dow Jones recent climb to 10,000
points as the best of indicators the economy is recovering while the housing and job
markets continue to flounder. A veritable change in business practices and monetary
indexes would have a profound effect on how mainstream media would report on
business and the environment.
In the rest of this essay I will examine a few key progressive voices that espouse
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such a radical change in the economic agenda, some dangers if we do not adopt such an
agenda, the obstacles in achieving their visions, and lastly reasons to hope these obstacles
will be overcome.
There are lesser-known, forward-thinking voices in the realms of media (Rachel
Maddow on MSNBC), politics (Henry Waxman D-CA), and economy (Nicholas Stern,
Paul Krugman) who recognize a return to business-as-usual would only postpone an even
larger collapse of the global system and endanger posterity further. These enlightened
minds, if they only reached a wider audience, could help convince the public that
mankind must elevate to the consciousness of eco-revolution and jettison the Industrial-
Revolution worldview that has impoverished the natural world for the past 150 years.
Part of initiating the changeover in consciousness from natural resources as infinite and
under mans dominion as finite and as a symbiotic partnership is as simple as creating
alternative socioeconomic indexes that remove our old, clouded lens and insert a fresh,
transparent one that allows us to more easily and justly take into account the social and
environmental costs of doing business in the 21st century.
In the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, Mr. Stern gives
persuasive data on both the need for decisive action on climate change and what decisive
action should look like. To paraphrase, it is still worth tackling the issue of climate
change because of the indisputable disruption to life on Earth if the concentration of
carbon dioxide is not reined in from where it currently sits at 387 parts per million
(hereafter, ppm) to 350 ppm. If emissions continue unabated, double pre-Industrial
Revolution levels of carbon dioxide (550 ppm) could be reached as early as 2035.5 This
could mean a global temperature rise of two to five degrees Celsius by the end of the
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century, introducing mankind to an unstable climate that has never been experienced
before. There are a plethora of frightening figures offered up by Stern and others, but
principal one among them economically speaking is that unabated climate change could
cut global GDP from 5-20%, throwing the world into socioeconomic chaos. 6 This range
hinges largely on how many degrees the world heats, which is impossible to know for
sure. As Mr. Stern reminds, Policy on climate change is in large measure about
reducing risks. They cannot be fully eliminated, but they can be substantially reduced. 7
We must reduce these risks to our best abilities for the well being of posterity.
If the world heats by four or more, mankind will have far greater concerns than
the economyit is at that level severe disruptions to global food production will take
place. Each day that passes without decisive action brings mankind closer to experiencing
a climate uncomplimentary to our existence. No less than mankinds survival may be at
stake. Here is what Mr. Stern proposes is necessary to negate such possibilities:
1. An 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by2050 for developed countries based on quantitative emissions targets.Developing or Third World countries would be responsible for a 50%reduction. Emissions must peak sometime between 2020-2030. This canbe accomplished through three elements:
a. Carbon pricing- taxing the sale and emission of carbon will reverse thepractice of externalized energy costs and reveal the true cost.
b. Carbon technology- technology policy should drive the large-scaledevelopment and use of a range of low-carbon and high-efficiencyproducts. 8
c. Energy Efficiency- Globally, support for energy research anddevelopment should at least double; support for the deployment oflow-carbon technologies should be increased by up to five times.
2. Such a reduction would entail large annual transfers to developingcountries, as much as $75 billion, through international trade in emissionspermits.9
The most urgent and immediately addressable issue is that of carbon pricing. With
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uniform international cooperation, the world could establish a broadly similar carbon
price signal through taxation, trade, and/or regulation that would increase the financial
burden on businesses relying solely on unsustainable carbon. This relatively simple step
would thereby accelerate the advancement of carbon technology and energy efficiency as
the market demands them. As Jonathan Wright contends, we have to pursue different
kinds of economic growth and convince ourselves that capping emissions of greenhouse
gases is both entirely possible and eminently affordable.10
The ability to convince ourselves of the reality of eminently affordable growth
has been hampered by the ruling corporate class that stands to lose billions of dollars if
the sustainable changeover occurs. As a result, the talking heads have resorted to
irrationally vilifying the tenable progressive agenda proposed by Mr. Stern. The media,
entrenched in the old paradigm of bisecting business and environmental coverage, has
failed to effectively point out that a.) in the past year some 770 companies hired over
2,000 climate change lobbyists and spent an estimated $90 million to influence federal
policy on climate change, and b.) that clearly then these manipulators of democracy do
not have the citizens best interests at heart. 11
It can be difficult for the layman to know whom to trust because of the warping
effect corporate connectivity has on business, politics, and media. Depending on what
network and what anchor, the media usually vacillates between passivity in the face of
brazen lies, halfhearted analysis, and outright slander themselves. For example, Glenn
Beck, a talk show host on Rupert Murdochs FOX news network, recently told his
viewers that a buried Obama administration study showed that the U.S.s Waxman-
Markey energy bill would cost the average American family $1,787 per year. The
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problem is the study Beck cites simply does not exist.12
Too many politicians and media figures denounce the economic viability of a
transition to a sustainable economy that amalgamates business with the environment
because of their close associations with big business. Though at times harder to find,
there are voices of reason and clarity that contribute the dialogue such as Nobel prize-
winning economist Paul Krugman of the New York Times. He rebukes Beck by stating in
an op-ed piece the best available economic analyses suggest that even deep cuts in
greenhouse gas emissions would impose only modest costs on the average family. Earlier
this month, the Congressional Budget Office released an analysis of the effects of
Waxman-Markey, concluding that in 2020 the bill would cost the average family only
$160 a year, or 0.2 percent of income. Thats roughly the cost of a postage stamp a
day.13 The problem is that Beck, a former addict, alcoholic, self-referred rodeo-clown,
and Yale dropout, reaches an exponentially greater audience than Mr. Krugman, a Yale
graduate, Princeton economic professor, and Nobel Prize winner. Our country is full of
busy, hard-working people: most simply dont have time to research and double-check
what is misinformation and what is not. Citizens have the right to be educated on the
economic feasibility of the sustainable economy by only our most objective, capable
minds.
The detriment caused to sustainability debate by the lack of education on the
intertwined, complex issue of macro-economic environmental policy cannot be
overstated. The Wests education system needs to be overhauled to graduate young adults
instilled with the knowledge, tools, and creativity to address the global economic crisis.
Clearly reporters in the media are not receiving the environmental background they need
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when seven in ten report feeling undereducated on the environment and environmental
issues. 14 Shifting the nations educational focus towards green awareness and technology
would be a huge step in achieving the low-carbon development Mr. Stern talks about.
There are existing institutions with educational strategies that could be adopted on a large
scale to the benefit of all.
In Europe, the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University and Oxford'sSaid Business School have made climate change a required part of business school
education. Many others have a strong teaching focus on the broader areas of corporatesocial responsibility [CSR] and/or sustainability. Many schools, like RSM, are also
pledging to green their own campuses. Climate must be integrated into core courses
globally. Top schools need to work together globally like their CEO counterparts. Onlythen can we develop a coordinated approach to the business of climate education.15
With better education we can expect the coming generations of reporters and
anchors to be well versed on pertinent 21st century issues on a higher level their
predecessors. The hour is late though, which is why the West must shift its focus quickly
and dramatically from fossil fuels to clean energy and from the 20th century model of
education to a modern, environmentally conscious one. If this turnabout happens, one
will see an eco-business and eco-media class emerge that calculates decisions in a more
enlightened, future-centric manner than their predecessors: Conventional economic
analysis cannot handle the costs of pollution and of the depletion of common property
resources because common property, like climate or air quality, cannot be privatized and
thus are outside the market place.16 By creating a sustainable, equitable system, we can
end the unnatural juxtaposition of business and the environment. With the right
incentives and regulation, businesses will take environment concerns into their business
practices not out of conscience, but because the costs of polluting are no longer
externalized.
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Business and environmental concerns have been in constant tension because of
the profit motive inherent in our system of capital that, through years of deregulation and
insufficient regulation, has discounted environmental costs. Not only is the system is
disturbing and amoral as it stands, but we are losing bright minds and lots of money in
the processwe are outsourcing new green jobs to other countries because our economy
does not have the progressive framework of countries like Germany, China, etc.
Applied Materials, a U.S. company that makes the machines that make solar
panels, has built 14 solar panel factories in the last two years, but none in the U.S. The
natural question to ask is why. Why would a successful domestic company that also
makes the chips that go into your computers not build a single one of their 14 plants on
American soil? As Thomas Friedman explains it, other governments have put in place
the three prerequisites for growing a renewable energy industry: 1) any business or
homeowner can generate solar energy; 2) if they decide to do so, the power utility has to
connect them to the grid; and 3) the utility has to buy the power for a predictable period
at a price that is a no-brainer good deal for the family or business putting the solar panels
on their rooftop.17 Frustratingly, there are no current economic indexes or media outlets
communicating the fundamental inadequacy of our current system as portrayed in this
anecdote. The world is on track to add another 2.5 billion people by 2050, and many
will be aspiring to live American-like, high-energy lifestyles. In such a world, renewable
energy where the variable cost of your fuel, sun or wind, is zero will be in huge
demand.18 The U.S. stands to not compete in a lucrative and potentially hegemony-
saving market because it has failed so far to implement the three prerequisites Friedman
espouses.
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As the definition of sustainable economy I adopted at the opening if this essay
states, such an economy does not promote socioeconomic activity that endangers future
generations. Bhutan has begun exploring one such way to do that by creating alternative
measurements of its economy and society. The West too must transition to alternative
indexes and adopt the policies proposed by Mr. Stern if we are to minimize the dangers to
posterity. The media has failed to elucidate the unsustainability of our current
socioeconomic system, but with the implementation of the ideas of Stern, Krugman, et al.
and an overhaul of the education system, media and society would grow to reflect an
enhanced understanding of the deep-seated relationship between business and
environment. Such a media and society would reward business that respect the immutable
laws of nature by harnessing clean energy, engaging in conservation, and operating
ethically. Such a media would also be responsible for calling out businesses that
overburden the environment and impoverish society. If the West can achieve such a
momentous turnaround, the future generations of the developed world may indeed enjoy
a level of happiness that even surpasses that of those in a small, isolated country that rests
in the mountains of the Himalayas.
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Notes
1. The Next Industrial Revolution. Dir. Chris Bedford. Perf. William McDonoughand Michael Braungart. Bullfrog Films, 2001. DVD.
2. "Is Bhutan on to something with Gross National Happiness?" Review. Audio blogpost.HowStuffWorks.com. Ed. Charles W. Bryant and Josh Clark. Web.3. Bryant and Clark.4. Bryant and Clark.5. Cooper, Richard N. "The Global Deal: Climate Change and the Creation of a New
Era of Progress and Prosperity.(Economic, Social, and Environmental)(Briefarticle)(Book review)." Foreign Affairs 88.3 (May-June 2009): 169(1).
Osborne, Hilary. "Stern report: the key points." The Guardian. 30 Oct. 2006. Web. 21Oct. 2009. .
6. The Stern Review on the Economic Effects of Climate ChangePopulation and Development Review, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec., 2006), pp. 793-798
Published by: Population Council7. Osborne, Hillary.8. Cooper, Richard N.9. Wright, Jonathan. "Enviro-realism.(A Blueprint For A Safer Planet: How to
Manage Climate Change and Create a New Era of Progress and Prosperity)(Bookreview)." Geographical 81.7 (July 2009): 61(1).
10. "Who Are The Top 10 Climate Lobbyists? | CommonDreams.org." CommonDreams | News & Views. Web. 04 Oct. 2009..
11. Krugman, Paul. "It's Easy Being Green." The New York Times. 24 Sept. 2009.Web. 04 Oct. 2009..
12. Krugman, Paul.13. Harrabin, Roger. Reporting Sustainable Development. The Daily Globe-
Environmental change, the public and the media. Earthscan Publications,London, 2002.
14. Whiteman, Gail. "B-Schools: Make Climate Change Front and Center." BusinessWeek Online (April 21, 2009)
O'Keefe, Phil. The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Development. Ed. John Kirby.
London: Earthscan Publications Ltd., 1995. Print. P.87.
Friedman, Thomas.Have a Nice Day. The New York Times. 15 Sept. 2009. Web. 7 Oct.
2009. .
Friedman, Thomas.
http://goddard40.clarku.edu:2145/stable/20058936http://goddard40.clarku.edu:2145/action/showPublication?journalCode=popudeverevihttp://goddard40.clarku.edu:2145/action/showPublication?journalCode=popudeverevihttp://goddard40.clarku.edu:2145/stable/20058936http://goddard40.clarku.edu:2145/action/showPublication?journalCode=popudeverevi8/8/2019 The Transition to the Sustainable Economy
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Works Cited
Botton, Alain de. The Consolations of Philosophy. Camberwell, AU: Penguin Books,2000. Print.
The Next Industrial Revolution. Dir. Chris Bedford. Perf. William McDonough andMichael Braungart. Bullfrog Films, 2001. DVD.
Brown, Lester. "Could Climate Change Topple Modern Civilization?" Interview by IraFlatow. Audio blog post. Web.
Cooper, Richard N. "The Global Deal: Climate Change and the Creation of a New Era ofProgress and Prosperity.(Economic, Social, and Environmental)(Brief article)(Bookreview)." Foreign Affairs 88.3 (May-June 2009): 169(1).
Friedman, Thomas. Have a Nice Day. The New York Times. 15 Sept. 2009. Web. 7 Oct.
2009. < http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/opinion/16friedman.html>.
The Stern Review on the Economic Effects of Climate ChangePopulation and Development Review, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec., 2006), pp. 793-798Published by: Population Council
"Is Bhutan on to something with Gross National Happiness?" Review. Audio blog post.HowStuffWorks.com. Ed. Charles W. Bryant and Josh Clark. Web.
Krugman, Paul. "It's Easy Being Green." The New York Times. 24 Sept. 2009. Web. 04Oct. 2009. < http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/opinion/25krugman.html>.
O'Keefe, Phil. The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Development. Ed. John Kirby.London: Earthscan Publications Ltd., 1995. Print.
Osborne, Hilary. "Stern report: the key points." The Guardian. 30 Oct. 2006. Web. 21Oct. 2009. .
Richardson, Jill. Norman Borlaugs Unsustainable Green Revolution. CommonDreams. 5 Oct. 2009. Web. 8 Oct. 2009..
Whiteman, Gail. "B-Schools: Make Climate Change Front and Center." Business WeekOnline (April 21, 2009)
Wright, Jonathan. "Enviro-realism.(A Blueprint For A Safer Planet: How to ManageClimate Change and Create a New Era of Progress and Prosperity)(Bookreview)." Geographical 81.7 (July 2009): 61(1).
http://goddard40.clarku.edu:2145/stable/20058936http://goddard40.clarku.edu:2145/action/showPublication?journalCode=popudeverevihttp://goddard40.clarku.edu:2145/action/showPublication?journalCode=popudeverevihttp://goddard40.clarku.edu:2145/stable/20058936http://goddard40.clarku.edu:2145/action/showPublication?journalCode=popudeverevi