The United Nations Organisation insists on the right of every human being alive today and to be born in the future to have access to drinking water, to a sufficient and balanced diet, to basic health care, to education and to democracy. This is the minimal base of what is called sustainable development, that is to say the well-being of present generations without compromising that of the generations to come.
Today, out of a population of more than 6 billion, 1.2 billion earn less than one dollar a day and 3 billion less than two dollars! Many among them do not benefit from the totality of the rights insisted on by the United Nations.
Meanwhile, in the rich countries, everything around us says: “well-being is the power to continually buy all sorts of new things”. To supply this hyper consumer society with goods and merchandise, it is an inescapable fact that consumption of energy must remain at a very high level and always be on the increase. Very high or … too high? At current rates, depletion of the greater part of our fossil energy reserves is foreseeable before the end of the 21 st century. But problems of soaring cost and deficits in energy availability will no doubt show themselves well before.
- Certain forecasters think that before we find ourselves trapped by the physical reality of limits on resources and therefore enter into a period of compulsory recession, the rich countries could give thought to the possibility of committing themselves to a society with negative growth. This would imply a realisation that human happiness can be something other than the plentiful supply of consumer goods … whilst preserving growth for those who have not yet obtained the fundamental rights of human beings. But a society of negative growth remains to be defined in its entirety and would necessitate upheavals that we are perhaps not yet ready to accept.
- Others are not convinced of the imminence of the difficulties and see no reason to question the economic orientations of our world. For them, growth continues to remain the best means of fighting poverty and unemployment. They think that scientific and technical progress in the future will solve the problems before fossil energy sources are depleted.
The near future, probably the next 30 years, will decide in favour of one or the other interpretation. In the meantime, it is up to each of us to think about the question, to make our own decisions and, perhaps, to put the fruits of our reflection to work in our daily life, whether it be in one direction or another. First and foremost, it is essential to understand and to analyse the data relevant to the problem, the risks and the hopes.
Read – read a lot! – and listen, rejecting over-simplification (a real effort…but useful!). It is an unavoidable personal challenge to anyone who is interested in his or her future. By making use of our knowledge and finding time for reflection, we will be better equipped to respond to the challenges and issues of life. |