As I write this post I sit in Coffee Exchange, sipping a chai latte, listening to a Basia Bulat CD I burned from my friend, and write on my laptop. What technology did it take to get me in this situation? Was it all necessary? Was it appropriate? I could have biked. I could have gotten some ice water with a lemon. I could have stayed at home. It's not imperative that I'm here. I just felt like it and I happen to have the means.
What if everyone lived like I live? What if everyone lived up to the Western Standard? Laptop, cell phone, new clothes, new possessions, cars and the whole nine yards. Is it sustainable? Absolutely not.
If everyone lived "like this" we could not sustain ourselves and the earth would crumble. We hear so much about the detrimental effects of global warming and imagine if that was doubled. The effects would be horrible. The air would choke us. Water would be scarce. The soil would become infertile. Some countries/companies leave giant ecological footprints with their negative impact on the environment. (Find out your ecological footprint here.)
How do we have development without destroying the planet?
I guess it depends on what we mean by development. Is it possible that people can improve their economical situation without industrialization? The immediate response would likely be 'no.' But let me put on my rose coloured glasses and modify things...
What about grassroots development? Working with what people have, in terms of resources and livelihoods, and then build from that? We don't always need a top-down approach to things. What if we, as Westerners, didn't live as lavishly as we did? What if we didn't get a new car every five years, a new cell phone every two years, and a new wardrobe every 4 months? If we lived on subsistence instead of excess we would definitely be able to sustain ourselves and the planet while providing opportunities for other nations to alleviate poverty.
When I take off my rose coloured glasses I realize this is very unlikely. There is no way we will decrease our current rate of technological consumption in the West. We're too obsessed finding out how small we can make a computer, how much dye we can put in a product before it kills us, or what a new car will look like. What's hunger or preventable disease worth to someone who is not directly effected by it?
I don't want to sound bitter, but maybe I'm a little dejected. We can make a cell phone the size of a finger, and yet people die everyday from preventable causes like measles or diarrhea. It just makes me sad. I know I'm definitely susceptible to consumption and I like to eat out, get the occasional new pair of pants, and go to the movies. However, just because we have all of these things doesn't mean we need to consume excessively. We can also make ethical purchases that will make a difference (ie. sweat free or fair trade). Technology has made these products an available resource for us. We just need to live in moderation.
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