Addicted to Growth: Societal Therapy for a Sustainable Wellbeing Future by Robert Costanza

                                     

  Two years before he was born, Robert Costanza’s mother lost her baby when she was six months pregnant. It happened in the year 1948 in Donora, Pennsylvania, with the Donora Smog, an environmental disaster that helped to raise awareness on the dangers of air pollution.

 The incident led to 20 immediate deaths in October, 1948, and another 50 deaths took place within the following month. Respiratory problems affected a large fraction of the population. Robert’s mother lost her baby after she got sick with pleurisy and pneumonia.

  This environmental disaster and the unregulated industrial emissions and car exhaust in big cities like Los Angeles and New York sparked an outcry that led to the creation of the Clean Air Act in 1968. Yet these changes were not followed by any long-term plan to build a sustainable economy.

   How can we develop an economy that is not about providing short-term benefits but that evolves to develop a creative plan to address the issues the system perpetuates consistently? These issues are climate and environmental disruption, biodiversity loss, financial instability, inequality and eroding democracies.

    Robert Costanza argues that the GDP or Gross Domestic Product should not be used as an indicator of a healthy economy. Every country uses GDP to assess the health of the economy. The use of the GDP dominates policy goals and consumerism. Yet the GDP is misleading. He explains this thoroughly in his book Addicted to Growth.

 To understand the limited value of the GDP, take a moment to reflect on the true goal of the economy.

       What is the goal of the economy?

 Robert Costanza states that the economy should sustainably improve human wellbeing, and he reminds us that the quality of human life is interdependent with the quality of all life on the planet. On the other hand, what happens when humans are at the service of the economy? What happens if the economy grows at all costs by exploiting the environment, compromising physical and mental human health and causing the extinction of multiple species?

  According to Robert Costanza, "we are trapped in an addictive pattern of behaviors called social traps, or societal addictions, that provide short-term rewards but are detrimental and unsustainable in the long run.” 

 I would argue that it is detrimental right now if you consider the current effects of the climate crisis as I write these words.

  Robert Costanza’s reflections and facts encourage us to get together to create a vision of the kind of world we want. He also sets the strategies to face the addiction through something called Motivational Interviewing (MI), a non-judgmental approach that is based on fostering a positive vision. He describes the elements of the motivational interviewing technique in detail and I highly recommend this chapter. It has the potential to kindle conversations that may help us find common ground with others, and to work toward a shared vision of the future.

Overcoming an addiction

  “It is rarely effective to confront addicts concerning the damage they are causing to themselves and to others.” Denial is the most likely response when an addict is confronted. For this reason, an introspective read of the MI and the application of these elements in different settings may help create a path of understanding and hope.

 The fossil-fueled economic growth and the “economic growth at all costs” model are important aspects of this societal addiction. We must address it in constructive ways. To do this, Robert Costanza invites us to review how we dealt with societal addictions before. For example, he refers to slavery and tobacco as forms of societal addictions.

  How did societies overcome past addictions? He cites the example of slavery in the United States of America as a form of addiction. The American South wanted the profits of slavery, so they refused to abolish it. Even after slavery ended, it took one hundred years for the Civil Rights Movement to take place, and we are still dealing with the aftermath of slavery.

  Tobacco is another example of a societal addiction. Despite the clear evidence of the effects of tobacco on human health, it took fifty years to reduce smoking rates by fifty percent. Why did it take so long?

 

 “It took 50 years for smoking rates to halve in the face of tobacco companies seeking to lobby governments and muddy the waters of scientific evidence. Advocacy, policies, and education can work but in the face of determined opposition it can take a long time.”

  Like the tobacco industry, the fossil fuel industry knew about the dangers in using their products. They were well aware of the links with climate change and the consequences of spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, but they used the strategies of the tobacco industry. They invested in ongoing disinformation campaigns and political lobbying to prevent change.  Robert Costanza makes it clear: “In fact, both the tobacco and fossil fuel industries used many of the same scientists, publicists and advertising firms to downplay the dangerous impacts of their products. Both industries continue to work like drug dealers concerned with their own interests by preventing the addiction from being recognized and overcome.”

 On why I read this book by Robert Costanza

  When I read the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, I became intrigued to learn more about ecological economics, so I researched information on the topic and I came across the works of Robert Costanza. I borrowed his book from the library.

  Robert Costanza is Professor of Ecological Economics at the Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP) at University College London (UCL). He is the 2024 winner of the Blue Planet Prize. His work brought global attention to the previously understated importance of ecosystem services. As a co-founder of ecological economics, a new field of study that recognizes that the economy is embedded in society and a finite biosphere, Professor Costanza advocates for an ecologically sustainable wellbeing society. You can learn more about his work by visiting his website:

https://www.robertcostanza.com/

 

 Conclusion

  If you don’t have time to read the whole book, go to chapter 5 and read pages 102, 111 and 112. I hope this will help you to broaden your perspective on the subject and to set new expectations. I would like to ask Robert Costanza what the universities are doing to integrate ecological economics into mainstream economics.

  Finally, Chapter 6 of Addicted to Growth provides a variety of practical ways through which people and countries are already working to build a sustainable, healthy future in harmony with the environment.  We can all be part of this movement to embody the vision and policies that foster the development of sustainable, healthy, happy and fair societies, so I hope I inspired you to you explore his book. Hopefully, Addicted to Growth: Societal Therapy for a Sustainable Wellbeing Future will be shared in high schools and universities. I strongly encourage educators to read it and share it.

  A world of peaceful, healthy coexistence is possible when we create the medium and mindsets to make it possible.  

 

 Relevant links:

https://sph.emory.edu/about/communications/health-wanted/show-notes/episode-fifteen-smoking/index.html

 

https://commonhome.georgetown.edu/topics/climateenergy/defense-denial-and-disinformation-uncovering-the-oil-industrys-early-knowledge-of-climate-change/

 

https://www.greattransition.org/publication/farming-for-a-small-planet

 

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/wildfires-los-angeles-climate-crisis-john-vaillant

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22012025/trump-executive-orders-have-advocates-across-the-nation-on-edge/

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check my writing on Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Photo by Sebastian Gabriel. Source: unsplash.com

Growing food

“A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.” ~Franklin Roosevelt

Do you like this flower staring at the sun? It belongs to one of our potato plants. I grow them in containers.

 Did you know that a conventional potato from the store may contain 35 pesticides? A conventional tomato may contain about 40 pesticides. Washing it does not make much of a difference.

 Growing food is an endeavor of love, but industrial agriculture has turned it into an act of destruction. Somebody may have made you believe that industrial agriculture feeds the world. This  is a fallacy.

 One billion people  are hungry as I write this post. By destroying the foundation of food production industrial agriculture worsens hunger and poverty.

 Only 30% of the food that people eat comes from large-scale industrial farms. The other 70% comes from small-scale farmers working on small plots of land.  In addition to being more expensive due to the cost of pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, industrial agriculture is responsible for 75% of the ecological damage being done to the planet.  It pollutes more water and fails to conserve it.  Vandana Shiva’s book “Who feeds theWorld?” explains that these figures are routinely hidden, ignored and denied.

   We need an urgent plan to transition this system into one that is sustainable and fair to everybody. As I write this, Republicans are defunding the Research Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Iowa.

   Those who claim to have an interest in human health should be paying attention to the importance of sustainable agriculture.

  If you genuinely care about animals don’t forget to educate yourself on the horrendous abuse that industrial farming inflicts upon domesticated animals. Here's an article on this important issue.

  The promise of GMOs to use less chemicals and  water turned out to be false. Research has shown that GMOs  are responsible for the use of more pesticides and herbicides, the emergence of resistant weeds and pests, and, as a consequence of this, they continue to destroy ecosystems and create new problems.

  Sustainable agriculture is based on ecological principles. It creates jobs, strengthens communities, and treats animals with respect and kindness. It minimizes its impact on the environment and strives to preserve the health of ecosystems through the enrichment of the soil with organic matter, integrated pest management, diversity of cultures and rotation of crops.

   Enriching the soil should be a priority.  In order to produce nutritious food we need healthy soils.  The soil needs to be enriched with organic matter. Healthy soil teems with life, but industrial agriculture treats the soil as an empty inert container, loading it with synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals destroy soil fertility by killing  organisms in it. The excess of nitrates it injects into the soil end up polluting the water. The chemicals create dead zones in lakes, rivers and oceans, where no life can thrive.

 Healthy soil produces healthy plants by making them more resilient and resistant to pests and diseases.
  Good quality soil also allows to conserve water, but  industrial agriculture ignores this fact, so it requires intense irrigation systems to function. Water is a precious resource and the only ones that benefit from wasting and polluting water are the corporations that  get paid to try to purify it. This leads to more inequality and injustice because drinking water becomes more expensive. High concentrations of nitrates in drinking water increase the risk of cancer.

 We all know that climate change is not a hoax.  A healthy soil is better able to endure climate adverse conditions due to its efficiency in regulating water and its capacity to hold onto moisture, which is another reason to nurture the soil instead of destroying it.

 Alber Einstein must have been ahead of his times when he said, “When the last bee disappears, humans will disappear.” Today 75% of bee populations in some regions have been killed over the last three decades because of toxic pesticides and monocultures. Climate change is also contributing to the decline of pollinators.  

Losing bees is not only about losing honey. More than 140 fruits and vegetables depend on hardworking honeybees for pollination. We’ll lose small family farms and local businesses. We will lose an estimated $15 billion dollars in agricultural revenue.

 Neonicotinoids play an important role in the decline of bees. Avoid using these chemicals altogether. Make sure you plant untreated seeds to grow  the flowers whose nectar bees need to feed on, such as Aster, Black-Eyed Susan, Blazing Star, Calstrop, Currant, Huckleberry, Purple Coneflower, Woodland Sage, Scorpion Weed and many others.  Let’s all be part of the solution instead of the problem. Check the ones that are native in your area and grow them.

Integrated pest management is part of the strategy of sustainable agriculture. I wrote about pesticides and herbicides a couple ofyears ago.

 Let’s remember that many scientists have been persecuted and threatened for exposing their research on GMOs, pesticides and herbicides. Examples of scientists who have been in these situations include Arpad Pusztai of the United Kingdom, Gilles-Eric Seralini of France, Tyrone Hayes of the University of California, Berkeley, Vicki Vance of the University of South Carolina, and many others.

 Diversity of cultures is also necessary to create an environment that produces food in sustainable ways, but industrial agriculture relies on monocultures. In doing so, it erodes the soil and contributes  to the decline of pollinators. Industrial agriculture claims to have a “high yield per acre”, but high yield does not mean high nutrition per acre. Their soil is deprived of nutrients , so they produce tasteless food that lacks nutrition.

   Vandana Shiva explained it well: "Life evolves through cooperation and self-organization. Fifty trillion cells cooperate to create the human body. Millions of species cooperate to shape ecosystems and the planet. Plants cooperate with each other. Take, for example, the mixed farming system of corn, beans and squash. Nitrogen- fixing beans provide free nitrogen to cereals, and the stalks of cereals provide support for the bean stalks to climb. The squash provides cover to the soil, preventing soil erosion, water evaporation and the emergence of weeds. Together, these crops provide nutrition for soil, animals and human beings."

 If you are in the business of pesticides and herbicides, consider switching to another business: the business of massive composting. Garbage is nutrition. You can invest in a business that turns garbage into compost. By making compost you can help to feed the soil, and by nourishing the soil you foster the production of healthy food and help to maintain the integrity of the ecosystems. This is beneficial for the future of your children.

 A true patriot should be expected to nurture the soil, not to kill the organisms that live in it. Earthworms are the best fertilizers. Start composting now. Instead of sending trash to landfills, where it pollutes the air and soil and increases the temperature of the planet through the production of methane, you can turn it into a valuable resource that will be treasured by farmers and gardeners and by anybody who is interested in the art of growing food and flowers.

 Growing food should  be an act of compassion and empathy, not of destruction… do you think those workers like to spray your fruit and vegetables with chemicals? Many of them are immigrants who work under the threats of those who exploit them.  These workers are coerced into spraying chemicals that harm their own health.

Ask yourself: where is the chicken coming from? How was she treated? Let’s be mindful of what this means.

 Poisoning the soil, water and air does not feed the world. It contributes to food insecurity, social injustice, inequality and wars. Worsening climate change and the effects of it is an act of terrorism . Let’s acknowledge this simple truth instead of hiding it behind the veil of propaganda. Pesticides and herbicides may be beneficial to the fossil fuel industry, but not to the health of humanity and the environment.

 Even the fossil fuel industry will eventually suffer, because we all live in the same planet. (They just don’t have the foresight to acknowledge the consequences of their current actions).

  Perhaps you are considering to support a CSA (community supported agriculture), or you may want to volunteer for one of the community gardens in your area ; you may want to grow some of your food. You can do so in containers if you don’t have a garden.

Go ahead: write a blog post on this subject. I challenge every reader of this blog to read about the food they eat and to write about what they do to reduce their carbon footprint and on how to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.  

Small changes can be the beginning of bigger changes. They can be the starting point of a different kind of mindset and attitude, one that is more devoted  to being healthier , more considerate and caring.

Spread the word. Inspire others. Share ideas.

 If you educate yourself on this important subject you will discover that there is a lot that you can do to become part of the solution.

 Remember that educating others is also part of our  mission.

Did I awaken your interest?

I found some links for you.

Sustainable Table

https://www.ecoliteracy.org/article/industrial-agriculture-agroecology-and-climate-change

https://tilth.org/focus/conservation/soil/

Soil Not Oil Coalition

Organic Valley Coop

http://biofriendlyplanet.com/green-alternatives/sustainable/sustainable-food-fruits-and-vegetables-the-fresh-local-and-organic-way/

Saving seeds as an act of resilience

http://www.motherearthnews.com/

http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic-engineering/eight-ways-monsanto-fails.html#.WSXQYevyvIU

http://sustainablepulse.com/

https://wakeup-world.com/2016/10/12/how-the-u-s-department-of-agriculture-is-destroying-our-health-and-environment/

Vermicomposting and its benefits

http://www.alternet.org/environment/monsanto-caught-warning-epa-about-activists

http://www.alternet.org/food/how-do-we-end-food-apartheid-america-farms-one

 Growing food takes time, knowledge and observation.  When we do so we are more attuned to nature, to the rhythms and patterns. We become deeply connected to  the creatures and plants that surround us. We become aware of how they interact with one another, and we learn something everyday.

Look at this leather jacket. Every time I get the soil ready to sow seeds I find a few   of them (they are pests to the vegetable plants), so I put them on one of the bird-feeders.  Chickadees and Cardinals devour them. I can assure you that birds turn up to feast on them  in less than five minutes.

As we restore our union with Mother Nature, we clear our minds, open our hearts,  get more creative and feel happier.

It’s time to return to the soil; I have a lot of work to do.

“Let us all return to the soil

That lays the corners of its garments

And awaits for us.

Life rears itself from her breast,

Flowers bloom from her smiles,

Her call is the sweetest music.

Her lap stretches from one corner to the other,

She controls the strings of life.

Her warbling waters bring

The murmur of life from all eternity.”

Rabindranath Tagore

On lakes, ecopoetry and other matters

"To see a World in a grain of sand
   And a heaven in a Wild Flower
   Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
   And eternity in an hour."
 William Blake

 Who doesn't like to gaze at a blue lake? Who doesn't enjoy to soak the feet in its cool waters on a hot summer day? Don't we all enjoy the softness of the wet sand on our skin?
  Wisconsin lakes are associated with happy memories and experiences.
   Going to the beach, however, has become an unpleasant experience. The water in some places is now pestered by algae, and it stinks. Some areas  of sand look like coffee grounds. I noticed these changes last year when we lived  close to lake Michigan.
  Five years ago the water was clear. A friend of mine also encouraged me to look into the matter  after she expressed some concerns about the lakes in Wisconsin.
   One of the main culprits is pollution from factory farms. Unfortunately, the state is letting the industrial farms ignore water laws that protect the lakes.
    Industrial agriculture in Wisconsin creates as much untreated waste as 69 million people. That is 100 times more than the population of Milwaukee. Much of this animal waste ends up as run off pollution in the lakes, making them unfit for swimming, fishing or other activities. This waste is also associated with the proliferation of algae.
    It  is very important to make sure that the factory farms comply with the laws. You can read more on this here.
 

   Reading about ecology and the consequences of human interaction with the environment inspired me to write ecopoetry. I learned about this term for the first time when I came across this book at the library. It has a nice variety of nature poems and poems that deal with the interaction of human beings and the environment.
   How do we define ecopoetry? I did a google search to clarify this because I find the concept intriguing and interesting.
    Ecopoetry investigates the relationship between nature and culture, language and perception. Poetry is not limited by the intellect. It goes beyond the intellect and can provide deeper insights because it is intimately related to emotions and perceptions. It explores the connection between human beings and their environment, acknowledging that we cannot exist as separate entities.
    Even though there is no precise definition, the word ecopoetry embraces the ecological imperative for personal sensitivity and social change.
     James Engelhardt's essay "The Language Habitat, An Ecopoetry Manifesto" published at Octopus Magazine states that ecopoetry is about "connection". Poetry is a place to observe, to think, to negotiate between human and non-human concerns, to engage with environmental issues, whether directly or indirectly.
    Ecopoetry has an open-ended ability to ask questions.
 This is a list of literary journals and/or websites that have an interest in ecopoetry and environmental issues. If you would like to add a website or magazine that has an interest in environmental issues, feel free to let me know. Thank you.
Plumwood Mountain
Verse Wisconsin
http://poecology.org/
Octopus Magazine
Flyway
http://www.susanrichardsonwriter.co.uk/poet/ecopoetry