Materialist success has come at the cost of the environment
The world's population stood at about a billion at the start of the 19th century, but has grown to more than 7 billion today. That growth was both a cause and a consequence of economic development and the technological advance it promotes.
...And let's broaden the focus from poor ailing Oz to the whole world.
The first weakness in this materialist success story is obvious: this economic growth was spread very unevenly...
The other big weakness in the success story is, of course, what we've done to the quality of the environment. There's been a long-term decline in biodiversity worldwide. Emissions of carbon dioxide have been rising since the industrial revolution, with its shift to fossil fuels such as coal and oil.
Although almost all the greenhouse gases that have built up in the atmosphere since the early 19th century are the result of economic activity in the developed countries, China's huge population and remarkably rapid industrialisation mean it has now taken over from the US as the world's largest emitter.
Something tells me that, from here on, climate change and other environmental damage will be the main factor limiting the spread of industrialisation and prosperity to the remaining less-developed parts of the world.
Ross Gittins is the economics editor.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/materialist-success-has-come-at-the-cost-of-the-environment-20141225-...
