|
|  |
|
|
|
| |
| Oct 12, 2008 4:46 am |
|
Open Future Basics |
John Stephen Veitch
| |
The current global financial crisis is a time of opportunity. The world on the old development trajectory was headed toward CERTAIN ecological, social and economic disaster. Resource constraints were one barrier, global warming another, social and political instability were a third.
So, the next two, perhaps three years, will be very difficult, but it does offer us the chance to find a way to establish a sustainable future.
So where do we begin? For all of my life politicians have claimed that we have to build the economy, so we could fix the problems in schools, make the streets safe and protect family's from poverty. We've been told that we need to grow the economy to get enough money to "protect the environment".
Once upon a time I believed that. That is what Economic theory says. But economic theory is wrong on that issue, back to front.
Therefore, we begin in a different place. The creation of an environment that is, diverse, clean and productive is the first objective.
The creation of a social and political environment that meets people's needs is the second objective.
Business and Government and Non-Government Organisations ALL exist inside the envelope created by the environment and inside the envelope social and political environment.
Once you begin to think in this way the whole structure of what government and business does changes. The FIRST responsibility is to protect the environment and to protect the social structure of the community. Many activities that people and business and governments choose to indulge in are destructive of that environment. A key role for government is to identify and to quantify that harm.
SUNLIGHT is essential, real information in the public arena about the real effects on the environment and on our social structure of the things we do. This gives a whole new colour to the idea of an "information society". I'm saying that we need the information about how the two most critical public common's the natural environment and social environment are effected by the activities we choose to do.
Then there is a NEW OPPORTUNITY to regulate and tax bad effects. We must accept that some degradation of the environment will occur. But we can have some control, and we can make it costly to engage in those activities if we choose.
So in my view that's a whole new starting point.
John Stephen Veitch
Open Future Limited - http://www.openfuture.biz/
Innovation Network - http://veech-network.ryze.com/
Building an Open Future - http://openfuture-network.ryze.com/Private Reply to John Stephen Veitch (new win) |
|
| |
|
