Basic HTML Version
August 1971
of all countries, developed or undevel–
oped, communist, socialist, or capitalist."
When will we wake up to realize that
the Gross National Product can't con–
tinue to rise inde.finitely? Granted, an
economy based on continued growth can
work temporarily in an underpopulated
nation with excess resources.
But as Wayne
H.
Davis of the Uni·
versity of Kentucky explains, "l t could
continue to work only if the Earth and
its resources were
expanding
at an an–
nual rate of
4
to
5
percent. Yet oeither
the number of caes, the economy, the
human population, nor anything else
can expand inde.finitely ... in a finite
world. We must face this fact
now.
The
crisis is here."
But, are we facing this fact?
lt
surely
wouldn't seem so.
The
PLAIN TRUTH
We continue to build automobiles of
needless bulk and with engines of 450
horsepower, although Jess than
10
per–
cent of that horsepower is used most of
the time. We continue to design aircraft
to cut in half the travel time between
distant points without questioning
whether anyone really needs to arrive
that much sooner. We continue to ex–
pend electricaJ energy to transmit tele–
vision and radio programs devoid of
information or value.
We continue to make and buy ever
more energy slaves until now the aver–
age American has sorne
500
of these
mechanical gadgets within his grasp.
These
100
billion machines consume air
and food (fuel), dissipate body heat,
and excrete wastes just as surely as if
they were human slaves. They're
convenient, but are they necessary?
Faced with these facts, we need to
ask ourselves sorne penetrating ques–
tions about the Western way of life. Is
it, after all, the
best
way of Ji fe? Should
we cling to this way despite the fact
that our wealth is running out until we
one day "achieve" universal abject
poverty?
Wbicb
Way to Turn?
Or are the facts only warning sigas
that we need to somewhat alter our ap–
proacb aod simply develop new mate–
tials and new sources of fuel and
11
energy? Is it time to complete!y reorient
industry toward total dependence upon
reoewable or recycled resources, estab–
l ish a system that might be shared with
the "have not" countries to raise their
standards of living? Can it be done?
Oc
has our technological society
leaped from the track of saoity -
shunned a harmonious relationship with
nature and actually based its present
and
fttture
economy on the
MISUSE
of
the very earth that sustains us?
If
this is
true - and there is every indication
that it is - can we
be
so careless and
not expect to pay the price?
Shouldn't we
be
willing now to cut
back on our appctite for the "American
way of life," rid ourselves of the
desire for more conveniences, gadgets
and commodities that deplete our re-
sources and poliute our environment?
Isn't it time we sorted out our real pri–
orities while there is still
time?
We are, after all, on a collision
course. Somewhere along the line the
consuroers, producers and the politicians
will have to make a unanimous choice.
The earth simply does not have enough
resources for the whole world to achieve
the present leve! of Western affiuence.
Aod even for the developed nations, af-
6uence as we have it today - including
the much-envied and emulated "Ameri–
can way of life" - is a temporary and
!' assing phenomenon.
O