Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet, 2021a

19 A Plan Might Be Welcome 318
there, has always been there, feels “right” <strong>and</strong> good on their claws,
<strong>and</strong> surely can serve no other purpose than to satisfy their urges.
How could they possibly underst<strong>and</strong> what it would cost to replace,
or why we even care about the appearance to begin with? It would
be an even better analogy if the cats’ very survival depended 11 on
maintaining an unspoiled sofa, in ways the cats could never grasp.
Maybe humans as a species are as clueless 12 as the cats in Box 19.2
about their present actions. In some sense, this possibility provides a
compelling reason to stop. If we can’t underst<strong>and</strong> the consequences of
our actions, maybe that signals a tremendous risk <strong>and</strong> we should cease
until we have a better grasp: do no more harm until we know what we
are about. Unfortunately, there’s no money in that idea.
11: ...forinstance, if their food source depended
on a pristine sofa for some reason
12: Why would evolution have resulted in
a being smart enough to fully grasp this exceedingly
complex reality? Maybe humans
are smart enough to ruin things, but not
smart enough to refrain from the ruining.
Sec. D.6 (p. 408) explores this further.
19.1.1 The Growth Imperative
Lacking a master plan, the current situation can be described as operating
on “autopilot,” guided—rather cleverly <strong>and</strong> impressively—by market
forces. In a world far from environmental limits, this model effectively
maximizes growth, development, innovation, <strong>and</strong> prosperity. 13
Much as it is in the case of fossil fuels, it is hard to fault growth for all
the good it has brought to this world. Yet, as with fossil fuels, nature
will not allow us to carry the model indefinitely into the future, as was
emphasized earlier in this book. Growth must be viewed as a temporary
phase, 14 emphasizing the need to identify a path beyond the growth phase.
Before discussing how this might manifest, the list below illustrates the
dominance of growth in our current society.
13: . . . although resources are not typically
well-distributed, leading to inequality
14: Recall that Chapter 2 made the argument
that economic growth can’t continue
indefinitely.
1. If a politician or activist calls your phone during an election cycle,
ask if their platform supports growth. 15 Of course it does. It is 15: ...intermsoftheeconomy, jobs, community,
housing, you name it
hard to find mainstream politicians opposed to growth, <strong>and</strong> this
is fundamentally a reflection of attitudes among the populace.
2. Communities make plans predicated on growth. Most seek ways
to promote growth: more people, more jobs, more housing, more
stores, more everything.
3. Financial markets certainly want growth. Recessions are the scariest
prospect for banks <strong>and</strong> investors. What would interest rates or
investment even mean without growth? What role would banks
play?
4. Social safety net systems 16 are predicated on growth both in the 16: . . . pensions, retirement investment, social
security, government health care
workforce (as population grows) <strong>and</strong> the economy (so that interest
accumulates). In this way, post-retirement pay can be greater
than the cumulative contributions that an individual pays during
their career. A retiree today is benefiting not only by accumulated
interest on their past contributions to the fund, but on a greater
workforce today paying into the fund. If growth falters in either or
both (workforce/interest), the institution is at risk. It is essentially a
© 2021 T. W. Murphy, Jr.; Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Lic.;
Freely available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/energy_ambitions.