Title: Beyond Sacrifice: The Relationship Between Sustainability and Quality of Life
1Beyond Sacrifice The Relationship Between
Sustainability and Quality of Life
- Joshua Farley
- Assistant Professor, Community Development and
Applied Economics - Fellow, Gund Institute for Ecological Economics
- University of Vermont
2An Economists Perspective
- Economics is the allocation of scarce resources
among alternative desirable ends - Not very different from politics
- What is the first question an economist must ask?
3What are the desirable ends?
- Until we know what the desirable ends are, we
cant possibly figure out how to allocate
resources towards them - If you don't know where you are going, you will
wind up somewhere else."
4Desirable Ends
- A high quality of life for this and future
generations.
5QOL as the desirable end
- We all agree on this definition because its
vague - The need for sustainability is explicit, but
otherwise this doesnt tell us how to allocate
resources - Economics (and society) requires an explicit
vision of a sustainable future that provides a
high QOL
6What creates a high quality of life?
- What is the conventional definition that drives
the status quo? - Is it desirable?
- Is it sustainable?
- What are alternatives?
- Are they desirable?
- Are they sustainable?
- Where does the conventional definition come from?
- Where should the definition come from?
- The relationship between sustainability, quality
of life and visions of the future
7What ends does our society currently pursue?
- Endless economic growth, more material
consumption - Why has the US failed to sign on to the Kyoto
Protocol? - Why cant women and children eat fish from
Vermont? - We consume more than we produce
8Is Endless Growth Desirable?
- Whats the current economic growth rate?
- NYT Headline Pockets of Concern Slow a Strong
U.S. EconomyIF you believe most statistics, the
national economy is doing quite well. Corporate
profits are soaring. Consumer spending and
business investment have been growing at a
healthy clip. In the third quarter of last year,
output expanded at an annual pace of about 4.1
percent. And private-sector economists are
expecting growth above 3.5 percent this year. - How long does it take to double consumption?
- Resource consumption has increased 36x last
century - How many more times should we double consumption?
9What makes people unhappy?
- Pursuit of material gainyoung adults who focus
on money, image and fame tend to be more
depressed, have less enthusiasm for life and
suffer more physical symptoms such as headaches
and sore throats than others. - Comparing yourself with others
- Status is a never-ending tread-mill
10Is Endless Growth Desirable?
- The laws of physics and the opportunity costs of
growth - The Genuine progress indicator
- Happiness studies
11ISEW
12Is Endless Growth Sustainable?
- Growth and a finite planet
13Renewables
14Waste Emissions
15Ecological footprint
16Is the Market the Driver of Economic Growth, or
Is Energy?
- Patent on steam engine 1767
- Wealth of nations 1776
- One barrel of oil 25,000 hrs human labor
- Our oil consumption increases our work capacity
by 340 hrs per day
17Growth and Energy
Past 100 years population increase 4X
resource consumption 36X
18The Hubbert curve-discovery
19The Hubbert curve-production
20Global Oil Production and US GDP
21Electricity Use and GDP US
22The Current Vision
- We may be lost, but were making great time
- Shoveling fuel for a runaway train
23Quality of life as the fulfillment of human needs
- Much more than consumption
- Market goods only one of many human needs
- Satiation occurs
- Needs constant across cultures, how we satisfy
them differs
24Quality of Life as Subjective Well Being
- What makes people happy?
- Money?
- (Not very, and only relative wealth once basic
needs are met) - Desiring less
- Friends
- Marriage
- Religion/community
- Helping others
25Enhancing Human Needs and Subjective Well Being
Is it Sustainable?
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28Where does our current vision come from?
- Advertising tells us consumption will meet all of
our needs - We consume, but our needs are not met.
- Pseudo-satisfiers
- Answer is to consume more
- Advertising and quality of life
- Advertising is a public bad
- The airwaves are public property
29Where Should a Vision Come From?
- Democracy vs. plutocracy
- The need for shared visions
- Finding common ground
- It is critical for visions to be shared because
only shared visions can be responsible - Envisioning is a continuous process, not a one
time thing
30How do we Create a Shared Vision?
31Quality of Life, Sustainability, and Positive
Visions of the Future
- The status quo is neither sustainable or
desirable - We are currently sacrificing our quality of life
on the altar of consumption - We will be forced into alternative paths
- Those who promote the status quo vision as
desirable must become the prophets of doom and
gloom
32Quality of Life, Sustainability, and Positive
Visions of the Future
- Enhancing Quality of Life is inherently
sustainable - Sustainability is not a sacrifice