Economy, Ecology, Electorate…..
Sean.Rooney | June 22, 2010
At the recent National Business Leaders Forum on Sustainable Development at Parliament House in Canberra, one of the most senior politicians in the land addressed the Forum offering his perspective on the sustainability agenda and business. He stated that in order to have sustainable communities we must first have a sustainable economy.
This hierarchy of economy before society appears to be at odds with Bjorn Stigson’s (President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) view when he states that ‘business cannot succeed in societies that fail’.
This sentiment can be further extended so that, not only will business not succeed in societies that fail, but that societies will not succeed in ecosystems that fail. And to ‘close the loop’ as it were, ecosystems will not survive in economies that fail to adequately value and respect the ecosystem services that nature provides and to operate within the constraints of our planet’s natural systems.
Given this, the assertion that a strong economy equals a sustainable society is a flawed one. And, is an assertion which, it would appear, that sections of the electorate are beginning to reject.
I wonder if the present shift in political support away from the mainstream political parties in favour of The Greens could perhaps herald a deeper shift in societal values. A possible move away from the dominance of the economic rationalist paradigm underpinning the major parties world views, towards a more holistic understanding of interdependencies between nature/society/economy. An understanding that sees the pathway to a truly sustainable future as one that is simultaneously greener, fairer, safer, and richer. Rather than predicated on being richer first.
In political terms could we be witnessing the end of the ‘capital’ versus ‘labour’ paradigm that has dominated the political spectrum in Australia over the past century?
Is a new political landscape evolving where the ideological combatants are defined by a new set of views and values? Views and values that usurp the long held positions of the Labor, Liberal and National parties, in favour of a new ideological contest in the form of ‘economy’ versus ‘ecology’. And, if so, what does this mean in short and long term for Australian politics and society?
Sean Rooney is a thought and practice leader working at the forefront of the ‘cross-sector partnering’ and ‘sustainability’ agendas in Australia. He is the Sustainability Program Manager at engineering and sciences professional services firm, Sinclair Knight Merz. Prior to this role Sean was at CSIRO where his roles included Founder and Director of CSIRO’s Sustainable Communities Initiative. In addition to his current role Sean is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Griffith Business School (QLD), an Advisor to the Asia Pacific Centre for Sustainable Enterprise, and the National Judge for Keep Australia Beautiful’s Sustainable Cities Awards program.
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June 24, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Economy…
The main problem with measuring economy is that it is based on the GDP, and doesn’t take into account the things that people get for free, such as clean air, open spaces and so on. In fact, it can negatively measure people’s experience: If people in a neighbourhood enjoy a park for free, and then it is sold to a company who puts a fence around it and charges admission, obviously that’s worse for the people — but it increases GDP, so is viewed by the government as a good thing. I think that may underpin the move towards "green" attitudes, the recognition that ecology is important and we need sustainable ecosystems…and if we neglect them, we’re going to have to buy the services they provide.