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The
search for a balance between modern industrial development and
the environment has been intense for more than four decades.
However, the results are far from impressive: complex environmental
problems, such as climate disruption, impoverishment of ecosystems
and toxification, are threatening the future of humanity more
than ever before. Therefore, there is a clear need for reassessing
the cultural foundations of the present ways and looking for
agendas for transformation.
The
authors define culture in a broad sense as all the patterns
of human behaviour that includes thought, expression, action,
institution and artefacts. Sustainable culture is understood
as one that incorporates environmental sustainability and human
dignity for all.
By
using the two criteria for sustainable culture, three cultural
classes are outlined globally. The over-consuming class has
human needs met but is exceeding environmental space and, therefore,
not meeting sustainability criteria. Secondly, there is the
struggling class that lives within environmental space, but
suffers from malnutrition and other symptoms of powerlessness.
In between the two, there is the sustainable class that meets
basic human needs with ecological balance. Roughly, one-third
of humanity belongs to each of these classes.
Also
a country-wide assessment of sustainable cultures is presented
by relying on three sets of data. First, the ecological footprint
data was combined with the Human Development Index. Besides
that, the Happy Planet Index by New Economics Foundation and
the Environmental Performance Index of Yale and Columbia universities
were used. The combined outcome brings out Colombia, Cuba, Costa
Rica and Sri Lanka as top candidates for nations with sustainable
cultures.
The
study identifies two features of modern industrial cultures
as root causes for unsustainability: growth imperative and hierarchic
structures. Alternatives are presented for both of these.
The
idea of economic growth with Gross Domestic Product as its indicator
has been a dominant societal objective. The study presents it
as dysfunctional in terms of environment, welfare and poverty.
Sustainable economics is proposed as a replacement. It rests
on understanding of the complete economy, including the informal
economy, and is built on the principles of last-person-first
and environmental sustainability. The future scenarios are degrowth
for the over-consuming class, steady-state for the sustainable
class and empowerment for the struggling class.
Domination
through power hierarchies leads to environmental unsustainability
and lack of human dignity. This is caused by the alienation
of the elite on the top from the basic rules of nature and rules
of humanity, including interdependence and inter-connectedness.
Paths to egalitarian relations are presented to five such relations:
gender, ethnic traits, economy, knowledge and nature. It is
considered necessary for the relations to be equalised on all
these fronts, as they form a coherent structure of the society.
Cultural
transformation supporting such changes includes measures for
arresting over-consumption, deepening democracy and learning
from indigenous worldview. Drawing on past experiences with
practices such as smoking in public places, cultural transformation
to these directions is considered most feasible and possible.
In
conclusion, agendas for the three cultural classes is summarised.
For the struggling class it is about enhancing power and resources,
and for the sustainable class the case is about respecting,
protecting and promoting the existing sustainable ways. And
for the over-consuming ones, a deep transformation into a sustainable
culture.
The
report also presents a thematic selection of interventions from
the eleven dialogues held by the project. There are also summaries
of or excerpts from the articles commissioned by the project.
They are grouped in four sections: analysis of sustainability,
presentations of sustainable livelihoods, processes of destruction
and pathways to sustainable futures.
If
you are interested in getting a copy of this book, please write
to us at marko.ulvila/kaapeli.fi
/ jarna.pasanen/kaapeli.fi
with subject line "A copy of SUSTAINABLE FUTURES".
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SADED
