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How to meet the ecological constraint?

Meeting the ecological constraint means concretely respecting the Earth's limits.

1. Fight against the inflation of non-productive personnel

Meeting the ecological constraint requires adopting a logic of degrowth to reduce the pressure on raw materials, waste, and other emissions that disturb the climate.
The problem is that currently no one knows how to implement degrowth. Indeed, growth is necessary in capitalist systems, to compensate The problem is that, at present, no one knows how to implement degrowth. Indeed, growth is necessary in capitalist systems to compensate forthe inexorable growth of non-productive personnel, described by C. Northcote Parkinson, which concerns both private companies and public services.

Non-productive personnel refers to people doing jobs with little or no impact on society, or even harmful ones. For example, quality services, personnel management, marketers, financiers or lawyers, as opposed to nurses, teachers, and waste collectors.

2. Frame decision-making processes

The ecological impact of production must come before other considerations such as cost or marketing.
However, attempting to achieve this through regulatory constraints, within a market economy, as is currently done, is perfectly illusory because it is far too crude. Law cannot take into account finely each specific case. Conversely, the decision-making mechanism described in the second part of the book From Capital to Reason allows it.

3. Banning unsolicited advertising

We cannot, on one hand, artificially create in individuals needs they did not have, and on the other hand, ask them to moderate their behavior to protect the planet. Given the extent of the desired moderation, the 'just right' middle ground on this scale is just a way of pretending to do ecology.
See chapter 14 'Consumption and ecology' from the book From Capital to Reason.

4. Reduce birth rates

This is an important measure, but it requires significant work to manage the negative indirect effects. In particular, it implies that the subsistence of the elderly is not ensured by the children of a particular gender.

Summary: Adopt an economic policy

Our modern states follow an economic policy ... foolish, as it is mainly focused on 'more'—growth—rather than on 'better.' We therefore produce more and more things that are not really useful, to the detriment of poorly met elementary needs, and especially the irresponsible use of natural resources, unnecessary pollution, meaningless jobs, and a work rhythm and pressure without justification.
Then, to redeem one's conscience (solve cognitive dissonance), we financially support, at little cost, a few virtuous projects that we promote in the media, without caring whether the economic model on which they are based is generalizable. Being concrete and funded is not enough.

A serious economic policy starts by defining what are the needs of the members of the community that one wishes to meet, and then focuses on doing it as well as possible, that is, with the least possible impact on natural resources and the environment, as well as an optimal organization of work aimed at limiting it to the strictly necessary.

Deepen the subject

Start by fully understanding the major difficulty of the subject, exposed in the question 'Why are small gestures for the planet dangerous?'

Understand what a serious economic policy is by referring to the question 'What is an economic policy?'

Read chapter 14 'Consumption and ecology' of the book .From Capital to Reason

For a more detailed explanation of Parkinson's Law and what we mean by non-productive personnel, see the question 'What does Parkinson's Law teach us?' on this site, or read chapter 2 'Generalized nepotism' of the book .From Capital to Reason

For an explanation of what we mean by framing the decision-making process, see the questions 'Why do humans reason so wrong?' and 'How to make decisions in line with the general interest?', then read the second part of the book .From Capital to Reason

 

2022-11-10 12:01:29 Cyril Reducing the birth rate: a complicated measure

La consommation des ressources, la production de déchets et la pollution sont évidemment proportionnelles à la population, "toutes choses étant égales par ailleurs" comme disent les économistes.

Selon une projection moyenne du département des affaires économiques et sociales de l'ONU publiée le 11 juillet 2022, la population mondiale - qui devrait atteindre 8 milliards d'humains le 15 novembre - pourrait atteindre environ 8,5 milliards en 2030 et 9,7 milliards en 2050, avec un pic à environ 10,4 milliards de personnes dans les années 2080 avant un maintien à ce niveau jusqu'en 2100. Malgré la baisse générale du taux de fécondité.

« La population mondiale comptait à ma naissance 1,5 milliard d'habitants. Quand j'entrai dans la vie active, vers 1930, ce nombre s'élevait à 2 milliards. Il est de 6 milliards aujourd'hui, et il atteindra 9 milliards dans quelques décennies, à croire les prévisions des démographes. (L’humanité) aura exercé ses ravages sur la diversité non pas seulement culturelle mais aussi biologique en faisant disparaître quantité d'espèces animales et végétales. De ces disparitions, l'homme est sans doute l'auteur, mais leurs effets se retournent contre lui. Il n'est aucun, peut-être, des grands drames contemporains qui ne trouve son origine directe ou indirecte dans la difficulté croissante de vivre ensemble, inconsciemment ressentie par une humanité en proie à l'explosion démographique (et qui) devient trop nombreuse pour que chacun de ses membres puisse librement jouir de ces biens essentiels que sont l'espace libre, l'eau pure, l'air non pollué. »
Claude Levi-Strauss dans le Nouvel Observateur en 2005

Pourtant, la natalité - associée au choix d'une famille de faire plus ou moins d'enfants - fait l'objet de dogmes puissants. Toutes les religions préconisent de se multiplier, le capitalisme exige la croissance. En France, le système de retraite dépend complètement de la capacité des générations actives à cotiser pour leurs aînés.

Si on regarde de plus près les projections de l'ONU, on s'aperçoit que la question ne concerne finalement pas tant que ça l'Europe et l'Amérique du Nord, dont la population semble avoir atteint un palier et devrait décroître pour être à la fin du XXIe siècle ce qu'elle était à son début.

Mais si "réduire la natalité" n'est déjà pas politiquement correct, que dire de "réduire la natalité en Afrique et en Asie" ?

source des données : https://population.un.org/wpp/

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