Number 17 - Are there truly sustainable solutions?

Sustainability, but within the same "system"

Technology projects involving some kind of sustainability goal are at this point (thankfully) very common. Collectively our society and its elites have somewhat understood the lurking danger and decided to act. So, once again science is called to do one more miracle and help us out of this situation.

However, the common denominator of most such projects is a silent agreement that the system to its very core should not change. Yes microplastics are never fully dissolved in nature and end up poisoning our earth and water to the point of declining fertility rates, but plastic is just too good - maybe with a little bit more recycling we would alleviate the problem just fine! Or yes, climate change is real but maybe with some limits to emissions, greener vehicles, filters and some carbon capture we can just limit the temperature rise to (only?!) 1.5 degrees! As my favourite philosopher says, its like we want beer, but no alcohol - hence we are ordering the zero alternative and pretend everything is alright.

What we do not realize is that this is not remotely enough. Even if all of these changes are applied, which itself is a big task, we will still pay a huge price. Even worse, this price will be disproportionately payed by society's weaker members! Rich families will have access to organic "plastic free" food and fertility clinics and already struggling regions will face water shortages and irrigation problems due to the changing climate. Understanding this, one is tempted to then demand that we cease all problematic activities.

But is even a true sustainable paradigm shift viable? There is little point for example for the Netherlands to go for completely zero CO2 emission if the United States keeps polluting - it will only make the country less competitive in the increasingly geopolitically minded world stage. Its even worse to demand from developing countries, who are just now seeing the benefits of industrialization to just cancel their dreams. Everyone wants a piece of the comfortable lifestyle that technology has allowed us.

The only answer I can muster is further internationalization. Not in the globalized market sense, but in actually empowering international bodies such as the EU and the UN to negotiate and enforce treaties. It is a definitely slow and boring answer, but this is the only way that proposed solutions takes most of humanity into account and ensure win-win deals that are more likely to be respected. Only by changing the system can we actually make meaningful use of our wondrous technology.

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