Is it possible to create a global economy that provides for basic human needs yet a complex enough infrastructure that does not compromise Western standards of living?
The industrial revolution altered the face of Europe in the 1800s. But it has created an insatiable hunger for energy that has increased exponentially until this present.
It has allowed us to move from labour-intensive subsistence agriculture to the mechanised systems of mass-produced farming to feed our populations. It has vastly increased the volume and efficiency of transport of people and goods. It has enabled us to mine huge amounts of the natural resources that were previously inaccessible. What required a large population to provide for the people's needs has been substituted with power hungry processes. Energy drives the modern economy. Access to energy has ensured the dominance of our nation.
Industrialisation has also enabled people to shift from 'living off the land' into specialised areas to build the infrastructural capacity that allow these things to occur.
But this comes at a price. Compared to the poorest nation on the earth, a subsistence economy like Bangladesh, our country consumed 35 times more energy per person. It is ironic that people in the West complain of population as the major sustainability issue. Yet Bangladesh with a population 80 times larger than Australia has a comparatively small carbon footprint on this world.
But let's assume that we would like to regress to a more simpler lifestyle e.g. decreased consumption of goods, growing our own food, less mass agriculture. Would this be viable for other busy professionals who take care of other important sectors of our society; such as those in healthcare, design, manufacturing or construction. And if there is less consumption, would our community ensure those who have less capability of providing 'important' goods and services be looked after.
