Thomas Lunde has refered to the recent discussion of Richard Douthwaites
book. I posted to that discussion a couple to times, but found that my
posting were of dubious welcome. Here is one of them:
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Ed Weick)
>Subject: Re: Why small could be beautiful
>
>Richard Douthwaite:
>
>>In a totally sustainable world, each country, each territory and each
>>community has to be sustainable by itself. This is because two or more
>>unsustainable sub-systems can never balance each other out and make a
>>sustainable whole. There are therefore two basic ways in which a sustainable
>>world might be achieved, although a combination of the two would generate
>>synergy and thus be highly desirable. One is that international regulations
>>are introduced which force everywhere to become sustainable at more or less
>>the same time. The other is that each community or territory makes itself
>>sustainable within its own boundaries without waiting for the international
>>regulations to be put into effect. Indeed, by demonstrating that it is
>>possible to have a satisfactory way of life and yet be sustainable, such
>>places would make it much easier for international regulations to be
>>introduced and enforced. Etc., etc.
Much of the discussion on this list makes me wonder what planet we are
living on. It also makes me wonder if we are not deluding ourselves into
thinking that, if we repeat "sustainable, sustainable" like some kind of
mantra, then by jingo it will somehow happen. Misusing the word "dissemble"
(someone has pointed out that I meant "disassemble") I've tried hard to
introduce a thought like - well, yes, it does sound good but how on earth do
you do it? How do you make a city of twenty million, like Sao Paulo, or an
even larger city like Mexico City, into a "sustainable sub-system" (whatever
that is in this complex, intertwined world)? In asking this, I'm not trying
to be rude or force my views on anyone. I'm simply being genuinely curious.
The only example of a recent historic case I can think of in which an
attempt was made to rebalance the population of a major city with its
surrounding land base is that of Phnom Penh under Pol Pot. While Pol Pot
may have meant well, the testament of the killing fields suggests that the
road of good intentions can indeed lead to Hell.
Ed Weick
