William R. Catton

This is my first ecology book. I had no idea things were so bad. I guess i was a believer in limitless progress. It's fascinating to me that until recently i could ignore all the information about the limits of the earth and the climate crisis. I believed there were lots of smart people working on solutions and everything is under control or will be shortly. I believed that top managers of our civilization are not avoiding the most important issues. But now i have doubts.
Avoidance is abundant. Is it because people in their mass are so greedy and shortsighted that we cannot sacrifice anything for the future? Or is the main problem that if one person sacrifices and another doesn't then the second one will just take over the sacrifice of the first and there will be no point in the sacrifice after all. Something like a game theory problem.
Perhaps there is a solution to this in a new belief system that values the act of sacrifice even if there are greedy bastards exploiting it. Current belief system emphasises personal gain and limitless consumption. Advertising tells us we should spend more and want more. Employers tell us we should increase the profits of the companies no matter what and that there is no greater value than increasing profits. Friends and family tell us we should strive to increase our income so we are more safe. Therapists tell us we should not avoid our needs and wants because it is unhealthy to limit yourself.
You only live once. Let go and enjoy yourself. If you don't look after yourself nobody will. You deserve more. You have a right to a comfortable life. You earned it. You've suffered enough, now treat yourself. Other people are adults and can take care of themselves. People are not all bad, they are both good and bad, so don't think about their actions too much, do your own thing. It is not healthy to worry about the fate of the Earth and civilization. A person must think first about his own life and then about others. Protect your family. Creating a new life is a miracle and the highest goal everyone should strive for. Living in comfort is normal, living ascetically means something is wrong with you. If you can't fight them, join them. You can't solve the world's problems, solve your own. To sustain youself you have to compromise and work for the companies that only think about profit, there is no benefit to avoiding participating in the economy. You are just a worker, not the owner of the business so you have no moral responsibility for what the company does. You can't bear the moral burden of the society just on your shoulders - it is madness. It is the job of presidents and scientists to solve our societal and ecological problems. Are you willing to devote your whole life to environmentalism? Is it really your calling? Perhaps you better do something you really enjoy in the short span of your lifetime.
There is a barrage of pressure and convincing arguments against doing anything about the global problems. Perhaps most of those who show signs of avoidance of global issues were ones open to them but felt the immense pressure against doing anything and were left with painful helplessness, so they had to resort to a defense mechanism - avoidance. Are we doomed to change only after a catastrophic collapse?… (mais)

Should be required reading for all human beings.

Catton systematically gores every holy ox of modern civilization. We did not get to where we are because of our opposable thumbs and big brains, we got here because of our ability to "take over" or "draw down" energy sources.

Nor have we learned much from it. Nearly forty years after its publication, it is still a stretch to find a politician or business leader who doesn't think endless growth is anything but a good to be pursued.

If you have friends you would like to influence to lead simpler, more sustainable lives, see that they read this book.… (mais)

Deeply discouraging view of the economic errors of the last hundred years. More so when one realizes it was written in 1982, when the population was lower by a couple of billion. It is clear from this work that, regardless of the unfairness, poor nations will not be able to achieve the prosperity of the rich. The earth currently contains more people than its carrying capacity and that carrying capacity is being reduced by overuse of non-replaceable resources and by pollution. Climate change is only part of the problem; soil depletion, overfishing, overcrowding, etc. are also factors that will lead to an inevitable crash of human population.… (mais)