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We can't afford to perpetuate that the current 'typical' western lifestyle is without harm
Completely agree. I was just trying to make the point of the exponential sides of the pyramid. Yes, the 'energy crises' of the 70s were a major tipping point when use of technology increased massively (smaller, but far more, cars, computer technology (unrelatedly) coming along for mass consumption, etc.).
Oliver Schick
I know you go on to address this slightly but we should talk about it. Yes the ultra wealthy are highly destructive from a resource consumption point of view but the ordinary western consumption, especially in areas like the southern US states, middle east, affluent far east pockets is not sustainable if others aspire to it.
I don't have time to look for it but there are reasonable estimates that the global population could live a western 1970's-80's level of consumption sustainably. This would see a massive uplift in living standards for the global majority, a minor reduction for many and a unthinkable level of reduction for the wealthy.
We can't afford to perpetuate that the current 'typical' western lifestyle is without harm or just
There is a large body of work in the degrowth/ steady state economics looking at this but it challenges societies political and economic expectations of endless growth