| Technology? Take a step back for the big picture. GDP growth cannot be decoupled from greenhouse gas emission growth.
Even tech services require building and running an infrastructure to back them up.
The contribution of the sector to greenhouse gas emissions is non-trivial and increasing. Continuing on a growth path inevitably leads us to total failure. Unless we can manage degrowth for an extended period of time, we're done. This is of course heresy and cannot even be discussed. I know what you're thinking and no, there is simply not enough time left to implement a technical solution and/or decouple growth&energy, sorry. Meanwhile - pr babble and CV19 pause aside - we as a species are ramping up fossil fuel extraction and getting ready to exploit the thawing arctic.
I don't have to single out a nation or an energy company, because it's all of them. See investor letters and fossil market outlook communications. We all must do everything we can to buy more time - but at this point in time technology can only be a plaster on gangrene. Force policy change and force economists to come up with a new economic model.
And force yourself to accept a cut in your standard of living. Do you see it ever happening? |
Before economic growth we have population growth, and what you might call "standard of living growth." Even as the population growth eventually slows, Hollywood and such has been very busy exporting the vision of the American dream to people who now want cars and iPhones. If we waved our magic wand and froze the population at some number, that still won't stop people wanting to -- even demanding to -- live like people in first world countries.
I think we're well beyond our carrying capacity already, and it's even worse if you factor in trying to extend a first world lifestyle to everyone alive.