{"id":68279,"date":"2021-02-15T15:10:35","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T14:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/?p=68279"},"modified":"2021-02-15T18:56:34","modified_gmt":"2021-02-15T17:56:34","slug":"societies-that-ignore-the-limits-to-growth-will-catch-corona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/en\/franz-alt-en\/comments-interviews\/societies-that-ignore-the-limits-to-growth-will-catch-corona\/","title":{"rendered":"Societies that ignore the limits to growth will catch Corona"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 1972 \u201dThe Limits to Growth\u201c<\/a> hit the nerve of time. The book \u201cThe Limits to Growth: A Report for THE CLUB OF ROME\u2019S Project on the Predicament of Mankind\u201d<\/a> was bought ten million times within one year of publication. It is said to be 30 million by now. Today the real limits to growth have mostly been reached. A society that ignores these limits will catch Corona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We learn from history that we do not learn from history, <\/em>Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel stated. But we cannot afford that in this age of nuclear threat and global warming, unless we want to determine the end of our civilization. Is it what we really want? Or can we still achieve the great transformation? My own experience has been that we can learn from history, but it often happened too late. So what enables us to create a humane democracy as well as a sustainable economy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Church representatives keep emphasizing that Corona was not \u201cGod\u2019s punishment\u201d, but most likely the logical consequence of our activities in the past 50 years. If too many people leave too little space to their fellow creatures, animals and plants, nature will remind us of the limits to growth. The well-meaning motto should no longer be \u201cMan<\/strong> in the centre\u201d, but \u201cLife<\/strong> in the centre\u201d. Which means a new interdependence between man and nature: more maturing rather than continual growth. Development instead of growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corona as a wake-up call<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

I understand Corona as a wake-up call to finally respect the natural \u201climits to growth\u201d. If the EU now decrees a \u201cGreen New Deal\u201c, if the German Federal Government and the US Administration want to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and the Chinese Government by 2060, this shows at least that limits are generally and finally recognized. At any rate the beginning of a farewell to former boundlessness. In theory, at least. Needless to say, these new \u201climits to growth\u201d are far from sufficient for a sustainable economy. But nevertheless, it is a change of direction. There are always alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politics, science und journalism have to confront people with truth and reality: that is, say what is and what is possible. Not forgetting the limits to growth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are still intoxicated by oil, which should have ended long ago, according to the Club of Rome\u2019s prognosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is, however, our situation even in 2021:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n