Fwd: Leonardo Boff: The Illusion of a Green Economy
dw dietrich
question" and to "define your terms". I find this little article (as
a follow-up to the other two I sent) do just that. I hope you find it
as enlightening as I did. d.
**
Please circulate this article widely. Thanks!
The Illusion of a *Green Economy* Leonardo Boff
*Theologian*
*Earthcharter Commission*
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Everything we do to protect our living planet, Earth, against forces that
upset her equilibrium and therefore cause global warming, is valid and must
be supported. But the very expression, *«global warming»* masks phenomena
such as the extended droughts that decimate the grain harvests, the great
floods and hurricanes, water shortages, soil erosion, hunger, impoverishment
of 15 of the 24 services numbered in the Evaluation of Ecosystems of the
Earth (UNO) and which are responsible for the sustainability of the planet
(water, energy, soil, seeds, fibers, etc..) The central question is not even
that of saving the Earth. The Earth takes care of herself and, if necessary,
she will do so by expelling us from her womb. But how are we to save
ourselves and our civilization? That is the real question, to which the
majority responds by shrugging their shoulders.
Lower carbon emissions, organic products, solar and wind power, reducing our
intervention in nature's rhythms, seeking to replace the resources used,
recycling, everything that falls under the rubric of *green economy* is
sought after and disseminated. And this mode of production should prevail.
Even so, we must not be deluded and lose our critical awareness. *Green
economy* is discussed to avoid the issue of sustainability, because it is
contrary to the present mode of production and consumption. But deep down,
the *green economy* utilizes measures within the paradigm of dominating
nature. The green and the not-green do not exist. There are elements that
are toxic to the health of the Earth and society in various phases of the
production of all products. Through the Analysis of the Cycle of Life we can
demonstrate and monitor the complex interrelations between the different
phases: extraction, transportation, production, use and discharge of each
product, and its environmental impact. It is clear that the so-called *green
* is not as green as it sounds. The green only represents a phase of
processing. Production is never eco-friendly.
Take* *as an example *ethanol*, considered to be clean energy, and an
alternative to fossil fuels and dirty energy from oil. Ethanol is clean only
at the mouth of the fuel pump. All the processes of its production are
highly polluting: the chemical products applied to the soil, the burnings,
the transportation in big trucks that release gasses, the affluent liquids
and the chaff. The pesticides kill bacteria and expel the earthworms that
are fundamental to the regeneration of the soil; they only return after five
years.
To ensure production of the goods necessary for life, in a way which neither
stresses nor degrades nature, something more than the search for the *green
*is required. The crisis is conceptual, not economic. Our relationship with
the Earth has to change. We are part of Gaia, and through our careful
actions we can help her become more conscious, and create a greater
opportunity for assuring her vitality.
I see no path to saving ourselves other than that defined by *The
Earthcharter*: *«our common destiny calls us to search for a new beginning;
this requires a change in the mind and in the heart; it demands a new
awareness of global interdependency and of universal responsibility»*(final).
*Change of mind*: to adopt a new concept of the Earth as Gaia. She does not
belong to us, but to the group of eco-systems that serve the totality of
life, regulating her biophysical base and the climates. She created the
entire community of life, not just us. We are her conscious and responsible
segment. The hardest work is done by our invisible partners, a true natural
proletariat, the microorganisms, the bacteria and the fungi, of which there
are thousands of millions in each tablespoon of Earth. They have effectively
sustained life for 3.8 thousand million years already. Our relationship with
the Earth should be like our relationship with our mothers: one of respect
and gratitude. We should gratefully restore that which she gives us, and
maintain her vital capacity.
*Change of heart*: besides the instrumental reason we use to organize
production, we need the cordial and sensitive reason that expresses itself
through the love of the Earth and by the respect for every being of
creation, because they are our companions in the community of life, and by
the feeling of reciprocity, of interdependency and of caring, because that
is our mission.
Without this conversion we will not overcome the myopia of a *green economy*.
Only new minds and new hearts will give birth to the future.
Leonardo Boff <http://leonardoboff.com/>
10-21-2011
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