"We are developing a sustainable economy"

“We are developing a sustainable economy”

by lunapark

[This article posted on 7/14/2013 is translated from the German on the Internet, https://www.lunapark21.net/wir-entwickeln-eine-nachhaltige-wirtschaft/.]


Quarterly Lie II/MMXXIII

“A sustainable way of life includes pretty much everything we do in life. First, of course, we have sustainable ideas, which we then use to initiate sustainable development. From this, we develop a sustainable economy with sustainable economic practices.” Finally, something is happening. And if we are to believe the promises of green electricity provider Naturstrom, things will get even better: "This sustainable economy creates lots of sustainable products from sustainable raw materials and generates sustainable energy with sustainable energy systems. We use our money to maintain a sustainable account with our sustainable bank, which takes care of our sustainable finances and provides for us in a sustainable manner. The sustainable bank only makes sustainable investments. We also build sustainably and only use sustainable heating for our homes. We travel sustainably on our sustainable vacations and also travel sustainably at other times.“ Enough, right? What reads like satire is meant to be taken seriously, and Naturstrom isn't done yet: ”Our commitment to sustainability knows no bounds. We develop sustainability criteria and set sustainability standards, e.g., for sustainable supply chains with sustainable supply chain legislation."



“Sustainable living: 10 useful tips for everyday life” is what the animal rights activists at Peta have to offer. “Sustainable consumption is part of a sustainable lifestyle,” is the wisdom contributed by the Federal Minister for the Environment, and the nature conservation association Nabu agrees: "We can all help to make our environment more ecological and sustainable. A lot can be achieved with simple means.“

”It's true, it's true that cows don't smoke grass, they eat it. But otherwise: it's all a lie. It's all a lie," Rio Reiser recognized back in the mid-1980s.

Our so-called civilized world is anything but sustainable, and little can be achieved with simple means. The global financial system is on the verge of collapse, agriculture is engaged in large-scale exploitation, and privatized transport and healthcare companies are beholden to their shareholders and profits. And the Greens still have to work on olive-green sustainability criteria for NATO.

Only the German forestry industry is making a serious effort to work sustainably: no more wood should be taken from a forest than can grow back over a longer period of time. Sustainability was not invented in Germany. Other countries recognized the importance of sustainability earlier. The term could be adequately translated as “viability” or “persistence” and means that anything else is simply not sustainable.

“Sustainable” sounds comparatively harmless and is lenient toward the lifestyles and interests of voters and consumers, trying to make us believe that we have it in our own hands.

Airbus has more than 7,200 orders on its books. Boeing has a good 4,600 orders to process. That is no longer feasible in the current decade. Manufacturers expect the civil aviation fleet to double in the next 20 years. Well over 40,000 jets will then paint the blue sky with their contrails.

The 400 million tons of plastic produced each year make our jute bags look ridiculous. Plastic materials have proven to be extremely durable, in stark contrast to the short lifespan of many consumer goods. Rapid wear and tear, changing fashions, and early defects are conducive to capital utilization. “Planned obsolescence” is the technical term used to describe how we dispose of our old cell phones and smartphones. But if we want to be sustainable, we dispose of them in a designated container.

Speaking of “disposing”—but that's another story.