Hello everyone,

Thanks for the interesting and instructive responses.

Personally, I think a basic issue is that "homo economicus" must be 
liberated from the delusion that extravagant consumption is the key to 
human fulfillment. But we have to start where we are.

Please consider WWF's "Energy Report: 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 
2050" and UNEP's "Green Economy Report," both published February 2011. 
Both reports converge on energy as a key dimension of the transition 
from consumerism to sustainability, and both are free downloads:

http://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/energy-report.html

http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/v2/GreenEconomyReport/tabid/29846/Default.aspx

The focus on energy points to where the action is. We all know about 
resistance to change and the "propensity to consume," and we also know 
about the human capacity to adapt. But, as long as we are dealing with 
"homo economicus," adaptation happens if, and only if, people are hit 
where it hurts, i.e., in the pocketbook. Since we must reach people 
where they are, and human resistance to change becomes willingness to 
change only when there is a  financial incentive to do so, may I suggest 
that the best way to get started would be to shift incentives and 
disincentives (subsidies, taxes) in favor of clean energy.

I think that starting with energy would be a good strategy because the 
need for energy is pervasive for the economy at all levels - local, 
national, global; so a shift in the energy mix for the economy will have 
a rippling effect in inducing adaptation throughout the economy. The 
next question is how to create the political will to "energize" clean 
energy via gradual adjustments in subsidies and tax systems. As long as 
we lack an effective form of global governance, the only way to create 
the required political will keep is to foster the creation of a critical 
mass of "global citizens" and keep pressuring all national governments 
to stop talking and start walking.

Financial incentive is the only way for "homo economicus" to become 
"homo ecologicus."  Hopefully, "homo ecologicus" will eventually have 
the wisdom to (paraphrasing Nick Maxwell) "try to be more honest about 
what human aims actually are, and actively seek out problematic aspects 
of human aims, and search for ways of improving human aims," and then 
*act* accordingly.

Luis

Luis T. Gutiérrez, PhD, PE
Editor, Mother Pelican: A Journal of Sustainable Human Development
A monthly, CC license, free subscription, open access e-journal
http://pelicanweb.org

On 2/27/2011 7:01 PM, CRISIS-FORUM automatic digest system wrote:
> Re: Economic Crisis<---->  Ecological Crisis