Time to Live a Simpler Life

Maybe Jesus was on to something…

The current economic crisis has started claiming its first victims and each day the signs grow grimmer for our consumeristic way of life. Of course it is the small that fall first; this evidenced in the recent government collapses in Iceland and Latvia as well as the news that GM would be feeding Swedish carmaker Saab to the pecuniary wolves.

Yet as the current uncertainty gives way to a certainty of worse things to come, it is hard ignore the way the superficiality of our the economy is exposed. Everything depends on continued consumption; something we all know is unsustainable, but something we are all unwilling to admit. The scary part is how reliant on this consumption we have become. If people were to stop buying unnecessary items, which ironically enough is also destroying the planet, the job market would dry up and millions of people would be left without work. This sounds like a travesty but I cannot help but see how people like this, including myself, are dependent on frivolity. In the US, each household has an average of 3, count it, 3 TVs. Think how many billions of dollars in revenue would be lost if Americans (and Brits, Canadians, French, Germans…) had, on average, one less TV in their house. TV manufacturers, cable providers, DVD player makers (each of those 3 TVs needs its own dedicated DVD player), video game makers and even the people that make all the parts for those TVs would face massive reductions in revenue and jobs would of course be the moribund currency.

And with apologies to those bible non-enthusiasts, a quote from your favourite book:

"Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Luke 12:13-15

Jesus makes a very clear distinction between “life” and “possessions.” What he means is that life is about people, not things. No matter how many TVs we own they will never become a part of our lives the way that friendship, love and our relationships to other people will.

Ultimately what this whole economic crisis is going to come down to, along with other crises such as climate change, is who is willing to make sacrifices and who is going to hold on to their possessions. Regardless of whether one is atheist, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, CEO of a company or assembly-line worker, those that cling to their 3 TVs will go down with the ship. Those that value humanity, morals, knowledge and recognize the adequacy of one TV; they might just make it through.

And now to satisfy those that might not be a big Jesus fan; a quote from a popular beer commercial that some in Canada might remember:

“It’s all about balance.”

Whether you are talking about the balance between spending time with the guys and, well, watch the commercial here, or the sustainability of the world’s resources and quality of life, there is a lot of wisdom in the idea of balance.

All jokes aside, the economic crisis will no doubt have a major effect on the entire world, and it would be naïve to think that it will just be the little guys that will suffer. Everything is connected. Those that value their possessions need to learn that the future will not be about excess. It will be about balance. Just ask Bob. ("Thanks for gettin' me away from all that sex!") If people can learn that a simpler life might be the answer (something that, as always, is easier said than done), this crisis can be turned from black cloud into a silver lining that forces us to change our ways before it is too late.

Maybe Jesus was onto something...

Or maybe it was the beer guys.

Will Grassby

Heathrow Expansion: What About the Climate?

After spending the last couple days wandering through airports on an overseas journey from Toronto to Stockholm I decided that tackling a spicy issue out of England invovling the further expansion of London Heathrow airport would be a fitting post-holiday return to the blogosphere.

The plan is to construct a third runway at London Heathrow which, proponents say, would be an economic boon for the Brits, and would allow the airport to increase the number of flights using Heathrow from 480 000 anually to 702 000 by 2030.

Ministers are expected to pass the strongly protested bill tomorrow all but ensuring the construction of the third runway, which Friends of the Earth director Andy Atkins is saying “…would shatter the government's international reputation on climate change.”
What Atkins is referring to is Britain’s goal of cutting carbon emissions by 80% before 2050; a goal which will likely be impossible of reaching if the plan for the third runway goes ahead.

Ultimately it comes down to a battle between politicians who see the economic positives of jobs being created as well as maintaining Britain’s image as a world hub and environmentalists who see Britain re-neging on their commitment to fighting climate change.

In this argument one only needs to go as far as looking at the stances the opposing sides are taking to see who has a better grip on reality.

The politicians are saying things like “We sincerely believe that Heathrow’s modernization is the only way to reduce aircraft emissions and cut disruption” and “Heathrow’s status as a global hub is at stake.” I think if these statements were re-worded to say something like “We sincerely believe that the only way we’ll get approval for this plan is by somehow making it appear green” or “We’re losing money fast” they would give a more accurate description of what is really going on.

Environmentalists are calling attention to the political propaganda that uses the current economic situation to overplay the benefits such as the creation of jobs while almost completely ignoring the environmental risks as well as the construction the new runway will require the demolishing of over 700 homes.

This technique, a common one in advertising, is playing off the emotions of people that are facing job-loss or struggling to make ends meet and points to a major problem, one that I discussed in the blog “How We are All Destroying the Rainforest in Borneo.”

The problem is that environmental concerns clash with the sustainability of the economy. If we are to slow progress, people will lose jobs, but if we don’t slow progress, we will destroy the planet. This is a paradox however that must be solved. We need a long term solution that helps people meet their daily needs while maintaining quality of life for both ourselves and the planet.

In this case, the truth is that expanding Heathrow airport is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Building a new runway will create new jobs under the period it is being built but does little to help the economy long term while blatantly ignoring the environmental side of the equation.

It seems that when a problem arises that conflicts with environmental concerns it is rarely the environment that wins (and this project will almost certainly be approved tomorrow.)

I don’t want to be one of those doomdayers but Sir Issac Newton once said: “To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction” and I maintain the politicians that continuously sacrifice the environment on the insatiable altar of economics are catalysts pushing us towards a great collapse.

Will Grassby