Time to Shake Off Environmental and Infrastructure Complacency

Posted August 17, 2006 in News

While some affluent countries may be basking in their short term economic successes, their track record in failing to recognise and manage the environment may be going to come back and hurt them. It is becoming clear that water shortages could develop into a global crisis that exceeds the end of the oil age. This should act as a wake up call for those nations who have dragged their heels on the environment.

A report by WWF warns that rich countries are facing increasing water shortages from a combination of climate change and poor resource management. WWF is urging water conservation on a global scale and calling on rich countries to set the example by repairing aging water infrastructure and tackling pollution.

The call to fix water infrastructure coincides with the call to restore health infrastructure in impoverished nations and reminds us to put the problems of fixing US infrastructure post hurricane Wilma-Alpha into a bigger perspective.

In a sense, this is another legacy of the movement towards "globalised economics", which discounted funding infrastructure for future generations or the greater good as paternalism that the world could no longer afford. 

Fortunately, there are people thinking that we need to develop longer term mental models, and become aware of how our existing paradigms have coloured our thinking in terms of prioritisation and problem solving.  In that sense, Knowledge-Wharton's review of Slade's book "Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America" is timely. The book documents the history of an industrial society that has led to the internalisaion of buy, thow away and buy again. Yet the author comments that must change as we are running out of room to safely dump all our unwanted, used-up or obsolete possessions. I would also add that we risk running out of the raw materials to manufacture or ship possesions.

Embracing sustainability has the potential to encourage more systemic and long term thinking, including taking into account interdependencies with others. It also offers the potential to help us develop economic models that will leave a desirable legacy for our descendants.

Sources: ABC Today Sydney Morning Herald Canada.com Barbados Advocate KnowledgeWharton BBC 

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