Consume more, conserve more: sorry, but we just can’t do both

[sue4e3]

We can have it all: that is the promise of our age. We can own every gadget we are capable of imagining – and quite a few that we are not. We can live like monarchs without compromising the Earth’s capacity to sustain us. The promise that makes all this possible is that as economies develop, they become more efficient in their use of resources. In other words, they decouple.

There are two kinds of decoupling: relative and absolute. Relative decoupling means using less stuff with every unit of economic growth; absolute decoupling means a total reduction in the use of resources, even though the economy continues to grow. Almost all economists believe that decoupling – relative or absolute – is an inexorable feature of economic growth.

Yes, the Paris climate change conference can save the planet
Ed Miliband
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On this notion rests the concept of sustainable development. It sits at the heart of the climate talks in Paris next month and of every other summit on environmental issues. But it appears to be unfounded.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/24/consume-conserve-economic-growth-sustainability

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. An environmentally sensitive lifestyle is a frugal lifestyle. n/t

[daleanime]

2. and it's a healthy lifestyle.

save energy, don't waste food(and eat less meat), don't buy junk, recycle....etc....

We need to do the big things, but it's useless if we don't do the little things as well.

[The2ndWheel]

3. Can't stop, can't continue

Since we're physical beings in a physical world, we have no choice but to do one of them. We won't voluntarily stop though. That's not how life works. That's why there's really no answer.