Synopsis
The world is running out of innovation, jobs and natural resources. Yet in The Green Light, Stephen Snow shows how the transition to sustainability can remedy most of the world’s ills: resource depletion, low growth, inequality, dysfunctional globalisation, and yes - it cures climate change too.Everyone knows that science and technology are accelerating exponentially - or are they? They certainly raced ahead from the renaissance up to modern times, but if the engine of science stalled who would be the first to notice? And would they tell or keep quiet? This book argues that technology has indeed slowed but the signs of distress are confused and are coming from economic indicators like low productivity, low growth and low interest rates. Scientists do not want to see what is happening, while economists see the problem but do not like to attribute it to science.Paradoxically, another threat may be just what is needed to restore a sense of progress to society. Resource depletion and global warming also demand a change of direction. If we make this change now, through rapid investment in sustainable energy technology and infrastructure, we can avoid global warming, reduce the risk of resource wars and buy time to adapt to a low growth economy.The economic situation today is complicated by the fact that three different and unrelated things are happening at the same time. Firstly, the slowing of applied science is reducing the rate at which new tangible products are becoming available to consumers, which slows economic growth. Secondly, rise of the new information-based technologies has created strong “network effects” in economists jargon, meaning that what little growth there is, is concentrated in a few large multinational companies that employ relatively few people. Finally, the moment has come when the transition to sustainable energy can be delayed no longer. However, there is a silver lining to this trio of storm clouds. Making the energy transition requires a lot of new infrastructure, new house building and renovation - activities that are hard to automate, which will absorb a lot of work-hours and where well-understood economics still applies. This conjunction of unrelated issues will require exceptionally clear sight over a wide field of view to find ways through the problems. So long as scientists, economists, philosophers, historians and storytellers all stay in their separate domains of expertise it is no surprise if the public and their political representatives also keep their ideas in separate mental boxes and never make the necessary connections. A political alliance based on pragmatic self-interest in survival is the most likely to succeed. While survival is the goal, this alliance should reject the idea of either scaring or shaming people into acquiescence. Instead, it needs to attract supporters who are inspired by the challenge of building a sustainable nation and proud of what they do.
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