This post, Part 4 in a five-part series, is devoted to envisioning a sustainable socioecological future. The three preceding posts covered specific aspects needed for a sustainable future: Part 1 presents worldviews and values needed in addressing humanity’s complex mega predicament; Part 2 discusses humanity’s major sociocultural, economic, and political challenges; and Part 3 proposes how managing the wealth gap in society could help create greater equality and equity in developing a sustainable world for all beings. To fully understand the contents of this part and the concluding Part 5, it will help to peruse or skim the previous three parts.As I’ve pointed out in previous posts, our modern global society is dependent on a global capitalistic, neoliberal, market-based economic system that relies on consistent material growth, effectively encouraging voracious consumption that, in turn, produces inordinate amounts of toxic waste products. As a preponderance of scientists and socioecological experts have established, Earth is a finite system, with limited natural resources available in producing profligate goods and services for more humans than our planet is capable of supporting.
This is the reality we face, regardless of the protestations voiced by self-serving naysayers, including a growing brotherhood of billionaires, some exuberantly touting extreme techno-optimistic solutions in managing humanity’s ongoing exploitation of Earth’s integrated bio-ecosphere. Given such a dismal scenario, let’s consider some possible strategies, methods, and options for developing socioeconomic and ecological sustainability.
Developing Socioeconomic and Ecological Sustainability
Proposed strategies aimed at providing more economic sustainability – while also reducing populism – are worth considering. One strategy would involve job guarantee programs designed to provide a stable workforce, subsequently also reducing populist sentiment engendered by economic insecurity. In an economic system based partially on fluctuating gig work, providing portable benefits that remain with workers from job to job and assuring continuous access to health care, retirement savings, and other benefits, could also help alleviate populist anxieties. A more controversial proposed strategy involves rent control, which proponents argue could boost affordable housing and provide more stable living conditions.
A popular concept gaining momentum is a government-sponsored universal basic income, a policy designed to provide all citizens a sustainable lifestyle, including healthcare and social security. In return for receiving financial aid, able-bodied persons could be expected to provide active contributions of time and work service. For example, unemployed physically-capable citizens could work a limited number of hours (c. 20 hours) weekly in providing essential societal services. Persons needing extra income could be permitted to take on additional part-time work elsewhere.
The amount of work anyone wishes to take on varies widely, depending primarily on personal skills and interests, along with how anticipated demands of time for working might affect one’s health and recreational needs. With the accelerating pace of Artificial Intelligence’s role in supporting and supplanting many types of jobs, economic experts are predicting shorter working weeks ahead. The Covid pandemic had a major effect in awakening many workers to the advantages of a slower-paced lifestyle. Evidently, most people do want to work less, with more flexibility in their weekly schedule, and opportunities to enjoy socializing, recreating, pursuing special interests, and relaxing. Many companies are considering the 4-Day Work Week as a normative option, and some companies have adopted it. Former U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed a 32-hour workweek legislation bill intended for submission to Congress for consideration.
As a retired person, I empathize with fellow senior citizens who express interests in continuing to remain active workers, but typically on a part-time basis, either for income or as a volunteer for non-profit organizations. Retirement phase-out options from full-time work could help retirees to transition gradually into full retirement, while also continuing to provide valuable expertise, experience, and leadership for society. Speaking from experience, I was fortunate to enjoy a five-year, quarter-time, phaseout teaching appointment (ages 65 to 70) that successfully climaxed 45-years of university teaching. Truth be known, had such an option been available, I would have been open to continue teaching at that level or lower for another few years.
Young adults – high-school students and graduates – could learn skills and gain work experience participating a year or two in education-oriented apprenticeship programs that serve social and ecological sectors. As an alternative to serving in a large standing military organization, they could join older citizens in serving local, state, and national organizational programs that provide a variety of social and ecological services for urban communities, farms, park lands, waterways, and so on. Assuming a disproportionate number of elderly citizens in coming years, young people could also be engaged in various capacities to provide essential needs.
As it so happens, in addition to the existing Teach for America and Peace Corps, president Joe Biden and his administration introduced an initiative in September 2023 known as the American Climate Corps, which is connected with the existing Americorps program for young adults. If the program proves successful, perhaps it will be expanded to include more organizations, programs, and areas of need.
Creating a Sustainable Socioecological Economy
According to recommendations proposed by the degrowth movement, if humanity is serious about creating a sustainable planet, the global economic machine will need to shrink — a lot! One proposal involves a gradual phase-down of unessential global trade, all the while creating U.S. companies to provide goods and services locally and regionally, a socioeconomic market system known as localism. The creation of local jobs and services can help communities become more resilient, stable, and sustainable, especially when emphasizing farming and food sourcing. This strategy could also be applied in reducing the size, scale, and scope of large corporations, particularly mega-sized international corporations.
Strategies to support small to mid-sized companies and businesses could address both social and ecological needs, helping to revitalize local and regional communities, create greater resilience, and become more sustainable. Meanwhile, promoting the proliferation of smaller and moderate-sized local companies can help create healthier, more resilient communities. Supporting local businesses that provide essential needs and minimize consumption of materials can also revitalize communities. The typical independent family businesses of yore might also be revitalized, such as shoe-repair shops, bakeries, hardware stores, pharmacies, and so on.
Ecologically-oriented cooperative businesses that offer environmentally friendly products or community services, while also reducing consumption and waste, are particularly needed. Such businesses include fix-it shops, tool-rental shops, thrift stores, book stores, and small businesses that fill a particular community niche. Cooperatives of various forms are particularly suitable in building community pride and solidarity. The proven success of food-oriented cooperatives, for example, may be attributed to their general reliance on local and regional food sources, which typically feature organic products. Cooperatively owned-and-operated local banks that focus primarily on serving local citizens and supporting worthy causes are especially helpful in creating a sense of community pride and agency.
Large eco-friendly companies and corporations are also necessary in this age of favoring bigness. Time Magazine and Statista have identified 500 companies signified as Earth friendly. Some of these companies might also be worth considering as potential investment opportunities for eco-conscious investors.
Space doesn’t allow for elaborating on the role of money, so this brief explanation must suffice. First, money is thought of as a store of value, a unit of account, and a medium of exchange in the transaction of goods and services. According to classical economists beholden to our current economic system, money will continue becoming more digitalized. Unfortunately, the ongoing construction of gigantic data centers powering the accelerating use of electronic devices will place even greater demands on global energy use, and the increased emissions will exacerbate climate change.
In place of using money as a primary medium for transacting procurement of requisite goods and services, the historical use of bartering is especially worth considering and practicing. Bartering can be advantageous when money is in short supply, or little information is available about the credit worthiness of trade partners, or when a lack of trust exists between those trading. Bartering is also a viable option for persons unable to store a small supply of wealth in money, as in periods of hyperinflation, when money quickly devalues.
Assuming the current digitalized approach to money continues for several decades, humanity must nevertheless continue striving to create a sustainable global economy. One proposed solution is the steady-state economy concept proposed and developed by ecological economist Herman Daly, and advanced by the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE). The aim of CASSE is to balance growth with environmental integrity, which can be achieved by establishing a constant population size, a stock of physical wealth, and stable resource use, whereby production rates adjust to the consumption of goods and birthrates to death rates. Readers are encouraged to learn more about this sensible approach to building a sustainable global economy.
Wrap Up
The foregoing issues and potential solutions may seem unrelated to creating greater socioeconomic equality and equity, but they are most certainly relevant. Providing opportunities for citizens of all ages (races, creeds, etc.) to gain the knowledge, skills, and work experience needed to earn a living wage and enjoy a sustainable lifestyle seems like as essential goal for a caring society. I realize some proposed ideas might seem overly complicated and undeveloped, but perhaps they will help inspire more people to think and discuss ways of preparing for a very challenging and different future, most likely featuring stressed bioecological systems, diminished natural resources, and fewer habitable regions.
As we continue envisioning and developing a more resilient and sustainable future, perhaps you can think of other eco-friendly concepts and projects worthy of consideration. If so, please let me know so I can add any potentially feasible ideas or projects to an ongoing list of constructive options to consider. Please join us next week for Part 5, the conclusion of our “envisioning a sustainable future” exploratory process.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clifton Ware, D.M., emeritus professor (voice), professional singer and author of four published books and two unpublished works, retired in 2007 from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities School of Music, where he taught for 37 years. Since retiring, as a self-described socio-ecological philosopher he has spent 15 years focusing on sustainability issues, in the process of acquiring an evidence-based, big-picture understanding of all principal societal and ecological systems, including the symbiotic interconnections and role of humans as an integral part of Nature. In 2013 he founded Citizens for Sustainability in St. Anthony Village, MN, produced Sustainability News + Views (2014-2019), a weekly newsletter featuring a variety of articles and a commentary, co-composed 13 Eco Songs with his wife, Bettye, organized Sustainability Forums, and performed eco-oriented programs and presentations for several organizations.
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