Scientists' warning to humanity: strategic thinking on economic development, population, poverty and ecological sustainability in the Mediterranean and beyond
Scientists' warning to humanity: strategic thinking on economic development, population, poverty and ecological sustainability in the Mediterranean and beyond
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DOI：
10.1007/s41207-019-0139-4
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发表时间：
2020-02-04
影响因子：
2
通讯作者：
Irvine, Sandy
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kopnina, Helen;Washington, Haydn;Irvine, Sandy
目前，主要的国际机构，如联合国环境规划署，主要关注的是他们声称的“可持续发展”的双赢局面。这些联合收割机结合了社会、经济和环境目标。然而，正如《世界科学家对人类的警告》中所指出的，环境完整性对于社会和经济体系的健康运作至关重要，因此，在政策和实践中需要优先考虑环境保护。如果不认识到人口增长和经济增长以及随之而来的自然资源消耗速度加快、污染和普遍环境退化是不可持续性的根源，就不可能实现生态可持续性。本文认为，要从战略上解决生态不可持续性问题，必须克服当前经济模式和人口增长的社会、经济和政治障碍。针对当前新自由主义经济提出的战略解决方案是通用的，即去增长、稳态经济和“循环经济”。人口问题的解决办法必须对各国的文化、社会、政治和经济因素敏感，才能有效，因为生育率因国家和文化而异。正如这里所讨论的，地中海国家的生育率是世界上最低的，而非洲的许多国家以及亚洲和南美洲的一些国家的出生率稳定但一直很高。这是讨论使用三个案例研究-坦桑尼亚，意大利和柬埔寨，重点是“最佳案例”的政策，提供了一个更现实的希望成功的可持续性。
At present, leading international agencies such as the United Nations Environment Programme are largely focused on what they claim to be win-win scenarios of 'sustainable development' rhetoric. These combine social, economic and environmental objectives. However, as noted in the World Scientists' Warning to Humanity, environmental integrity is essential for the healthy functioning of social and economic systems, and thus environmental protection needs to be prioritized in policy and practice. Ecological sustainability cannot be reached without realizing that population growth and economic growth, with attendant increased rates of depletion of natural resources, pollution and general environmental degradation, are the root causes of unsustainability. This article argues that to strategically address ecological unsustainability, the social, economic and political barriers to addressing the current economic model and population growth need to be overcome. Proposed strategic solutions to the current neoliberal economy are generic, namely degrowth, a steady-state economy, and a 'circular economy'. Solutions to demographic issues must be sensitive to the countries' cultural, social, political and economic factors to be effective, as fertility differs from country to country and from culture to culture. As discussed here, Mediterranean countries have the lowest fertilities in the world, while many countries in Africa and some in Asia and South America have stable but consistently high birthrates. This is discussed using three case studies-Tanzania, Italy and Cambodia, focusing on 'best case' policies that offer a more realistic hope for successful sustainability.