Economic growth is a concept still
underlying many discussions of "sustainable development". But "sustainable
growth," even qualified by environmental cautions, is a contradiction in terms.
The consultation describes a sustainable
society as one which leaves the world as rich in resources and opportunities as it
inherited. This means that renewable resources are consumed no faster than they can be
renewed, that nonrenewable resources are consumed no more rapidly than renewable
substitutes can be found, that wastes are discharged at a rate no greater than they can be
processed by nature or human devices.
There are many indicators that the present
global mosaic of economies is not sustainable. Although infinite quantitative growth
is impossible in the finite system of the planet and its atmosphere, sustainable development
is still possible. A major shift in patterns of production and consumption is called for,
beginning with the wealthy nations, and the dominant "development" model is
called into question as economically and environmentally unsustainable, morally unjust,
and spiritually debilitating.
A conceptual reorientation of today's
economies must take into account:
the decrease in the world's capacity to
absorb the consequences of human activity in the global economy as it is currently
organized;
the devastation of resources fundamental
to life on earth as we know and use it, resources once considered unlimited and
indestructible;
a perspective of the economy as a sub-set
of a larger cultural and environmental whole;
a definition of "abundance"
based not on growth but on sufficiency which includes values such as love and human
caring;
that massive poverty and the lack of
basic resources for millions are integral to the environmental problem;
the primary responsibility of
industrialized countries to take immediate steps to transform their current economic
systems into models which could be sustainable elsewhere.
The agenda for further study and debate
focuses on both a new orientation for economic activity (quality) and its
contextualization in the physical environment (scale). Specific follow-up areas for study
and action identified by the consultation, include the following:
1. Transformation in economic,
environmental, and ethical thought on:
Limits to material expansion: new
measures based on contribution to sustainability.
Sustainable scale of production and
consumption: how and where to set limits.
Consumption to conservation:
shifting the underlying economic perspective from a "flow" to a
"stock" orientation to preserve and to improve economic and natural stocks.
Economic redistribution: moving
from maximizing the growth of output (or GNP) toward minimizing the throughput of
resources and the production of pollutants.
Immediate needs and long-term
perspectives: in many places, the immediate task is to build the market economy and the
basic institutions for a democratic political system. Steps to advance new economic
paradigms or alternative models must be taken first by industrialized countries.
2. Implementation of economic and social
changes: strategies at the level of individuals, organized groups, corporations,
governments, international organizations.
3. Theological understanding and the
role of the churches in meeting this challenge, specifically:
Place and role of human beings in the
whole of creation: understanding the economic system as a sub-system of the eco-system
challenges theology and anthropocentrism.
Development in the context of the
fullness of life: reorientation from material growth toward qualitative development
questions the moral and spiritual values underlying human society; understanding abundance
within biophysical limits and true "quality of life."
Hope in a period of survival: the
contemporary meaning and resources of Christian hope. After the collapse of utopian
thinking in central and eastern Europe and confronted with ecological destruction, hope is
required to face the mortal danger of our time without disillusionment, pragmatism and
fatalism.
The role of the churches:
contributing to the re-orientation of society; facing the challenge to historic models of
church life posed by understanding the role of human beings as participants in the
wholeness and diversity of creation. There is need for:
i. A prophetic voice, a place for dialogue
and a common search for new solutions, as well as admission that past teachings on
creation often promoted an exploitative approach to nature.
ii. Accompanying society in the painful
processes of change, even conflict, and through their life and witness create conditions
which reduce the risk of disruption and disintegration.
iii. Commitment to the ecumenical movement,
the vision of a universal community, transcending the barriers which divide, promoting
reconciliation and peace with a plausible model of "unity in diversity."
iv. A place for the celebration of hope:
new ecological awareness needs expression in liturgy and worship, powerful and fruitful
areas for people to begin integrating this new vision of the role of humanity in creation
into their lives.
Consultation recommendations center on the
need for further interdisciplinary and ecumenical study and action on the agenda for
change as outlined and highlight the need for human diversity in such efforts.
 Introduction
"Sustainable Growth: A Contradiction in Terms?" is a report of the First Visser `t Hooft Memorial Consultation, organized
by The Ecumenical Foundation with the cooperation of the Ecumenical Institute,
Château de Bossey and support from the World Council of Churches' Programme on Justice,
Peace and Creation, held at The Ecumenical Institute, June 14-19,
1993. First published as a book, Sustainable Growth - A Contradiction in Terms?
for the Foundation in 1993 by Jaysquare Associates,
S.A.R.L., Geneva. The facts and opinions included in this material are those of
consultation participants and do not necessarily represent the Foundation. General
Editor, Midge Béguin-Austin, is responsible for the final text.
The ecumenical movement has participated in
the debate about world economic and ecological futures since 1971 and followed closely the
1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development -- the "Earth
Summit" (Rio de Janeiro). It seemed appropriate that one year after Rio the churches
should sharpen their role in pursuing its directions and contributing to the realization
of an ecologically responsible world community.
This report is but a preliminary examination
of the issues discussed by 24 persons representing rich and poor countries and a variety
of viewpoints. The findings are necessarily provisional, aiming to define critical issues
for deeper inquiry at this point in history. The findings "give rise to [and] involve
many questions that need further attention -- economic, political, technological, ethical,
and theological."
The meeting was convened at the initiative of
the Foundation in honour of Dr W. A. Visser 't Hooft, a pioneer of the ecumenical
movement, the first General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, and one of the
founders of the Ecumenical Institute. Putting these materials onto the World Wide Web
reflect the organizers' hope to inspire subsequent consultations on critical
theological-ethical issues "to advance this unfinished work and to keep abreast of
changing world conditions."
to Chapter 1
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