2009 Sustainability
Published November 20, 2009
A popular yet misunderstood word in the modern politically correct lexicon is "sustainability". It seems impossible to produce a report, make a speech or even have a discussion without somehow working this overused word in somewhere. It has become the new imprimatur, particularly for government documents. If something is described as "sustainable", we are all to breathe a collective sigh of relief knowing that somehow our interests are being looked after. There are many definitions of this slippery word out there and I'll not waste column inches quoting others' purple prose. My definition is: "That an activity is sustainable if you can keep on doing it indefinitely without either making things worse or running out of something that cannot be replaced." If we accept that rough and ready definition, then we must throw out quite a few human endeavours and habits as not sustainable. Mining and petroleum production, for instance, are not sustainable. No matter how efficiently and carefully we use these resources, once we have dug them all up, there will be no more. Which is not to say we shouldn't do it, as long as we understand the consequences and have some practical alternative plans when the end inevitably comes, which it will sooner or later.
While there are many other examples, one of the more outrageous is the notion of "Sustainable Growth", a logical impossibility that only seems to make sense because it is repeated so often. Nothing grows forever, whether bacteria in a Petri dish or a megalopolis. When there is no more space or food, then the population stabilises or, more likely, declines.
Why this is more than a tiresome academic discussion is that we, the residents of Strathcona County, enjoy a lifestyle that is based upon the quicksand of "Sustainable Growth". Our superior roads, recreation facilities, and services are mostly bankrolled by our strong commercial and industrial base. These produce their maximum tax benefit when first commissioned. This benefit declines yearly with depreciation. It follows that we must continue to attract and construct more and more taxable industry to stay ahead of the curve and that, is not "sustainable". At present, residential taxpayers fund less than a third of municipal operating revenue and the share is declining. Residents are therefore becoming increasingly irrelevant to the decision-making process and that should be a sobering thought to anyone.
Of course, the "Sustainable Growth" illusion appears to work if the time scale is sufficiently short and we have notoriously short planning horizons the next election, the kids' graduation or retirement to the coast. Nevertheless, unchecked, the myth of "Sustainable Growth" will gradually erode our future leaving our community permanently poorer than we found it and that will be shabby legacy for future generations.
Alan Dunn
Councillor, Ward 6
780-464-8206
dunn@strathcona.ab.ca
Last updated: Thursday, June 17, 2010
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