The Industrial Age Must End
Proclaiming that the industrial age must end is a surefire way to invoke a relentless pounding of rhetoric from pro-growth conservatives like the unforgiving waves of a tsunami. However, before some of you sound the alarm and declare an impeding disaster, allow me to elaborate. What I am proposing is not to end industrial and commercial development, but rather a transition to an age of sustainability by redefining humanity’s definition of success.
For the last approximately 263 years, “success” during the industrial age has been defined as the accommodation of economic growth while disregarding externalities in order to maximize profit. Externalities are commonly defined as a side effect or consequence of an industrial or commercial activity that affects other parties without accountability.
The disregard of externalities produced during the industrial age is clearly illuminated by the large-scale industrial agriculture activities in Hawaii. Prior to Hawaii gaining statehood in 1959, large-scale industrial agricultural developers were attracted to Hawaii because of the low land costs, cheap labor and a lack of human-health and environmental regulations that would hold them responsible for negative externalities, which they perceived to inhibit production and reduce profit margins.
On the surface, the first industrial exportation of sugar cane and molasses in 1836, the introduction of large-scale rice production in 1858, and the establishment of the first pineapple plantation by the Dole Corporation in 1901 appeared to benefit the people of Hawaii because it created jobs, spurred growth, and enabled the pursuit of materialism, which was considered an indicator of a successful “civilized” culture by the majority of the world’s industrialized nations.
However, the underlying dark truth of the industrial age reveals an intentional disregard for activities that produced long-term negative externalities such as harmful human-health impacts due to crops being sprayed with toxic chemicals, and environmental degradation to the land, surface waters and ocean. Regrettably, 80 years after the peak of the sugar cane plantations in 1933, some of the most fertile agricultural land in Hawaii still contains high concentrations of arsenical herbicides that were used extensively for emergent weed control from 1913 to about 1950.
In the last 20 years, the development of genetically modified organisms (GMO) for the agriculture industry has resulted in a slew of externalities that have negatively impacted human health, small-scale local farmers, and the environment. The pursuit of industrial intellectual property rights of GMO technologies and seeds has inhibited economic opportunities for small-scale farmers. Compounding the problem, the intensive use of toxic chemicals has further damaged the environment and threatens to limit the diversity of traditional food sources for many cultures.
On a global scale, the fossil fuel-based energy systems that powered the rise of the industrial age have produced significant negative externalities such as the emission of high concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. When these greenhouse gases are emitted anywhere they spread everywhere and disrupt the Earth’s natural energy balance, which in turn impacts all life on Earth. As highlighted in my previous article, “,” human-induced externalities produced by the combustion of fossil fuels has with a 95 percent certainty caused climate change, which prompts extreme weather events, has caused the death of millions of people, and costs the world economy trillions of dollars every year.
Simply put, unless we transition from the practices of the “business-as-usual” growth-driven industrial age to an age of sustainability where humanity strives to live in harmony with the Earth’s natural energy balance and carrying capacity, future generations will experience a slow death of declining “success” that could lead to the end of life on Earth as we know it. As Leonardo Da Vinci said, “[E]verything connects to everything else.”
However, before you succumb to a glass half empty view of the world’s future, celebrate the New Year by taking solace in recognizing that the problem is solvable and the transition towards redefining humanity’s definition of “success” in order to cultivate a sustainable future for all life on Earth is well under way. Worldwide, developing and developed nations are investing in renewable energy systems and closed-loop waste management systems. As of today, , $244 billion dollars has been invested in the development of renewable energy sources in 2012, and 192 out of 196 nations worldwide have ratified the , an international agreement to address anthropogenic climate change.
Moving forward to build upon the global efforts currently underway, we can contribute to redefining the meaning of “success” by participating in the development of our local community, contributing to advocacy organizations focused on social, economic and environmental sustainability, and sharing information on social networking sites, which kindles a shift towards sustainable behavior and practices worldwide.
About the author: Billy Mason is an environmental studies instructor, writer, and project coordinator who concentrates on climate change planning. He is an alumnus of the University of Hawaii at Hilo and the Clinton Global Initiative University, a former researcher for the Aspen Global Change Institute, and former science instructor at the Mokupapapa Discovery Center. As an accomplished mountaineer, aviator, and surfer, he has a personal connection with nature鈥檚 elements and a diversity of cultures. He also contributes to an environmental awareness column, .
This commentary was first published on .
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