Sustainability Assessment Program, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
ISA, School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Nat Commun. 2020 Jun 19;11(1):3107. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16941-y.
For over half a century, worldwide growth in affluence has continuously increased resource use and pollutant emissions far more rapidly than these have been reduced through better technology. The affluent citizens of the world are responsible for most environmental impacts and are central to any future prospect of retreating to safer environmental conditions. We summarise the evidence and present possible solution approaches. Any transition towards sustainability can only be effective if far-reaching lifestyle changes complement technological advancements. However, existing societies, economies and cultures incite consumption expansion and the structural imperative for growth in competitive market economies inhibits necessary societal change.
半个多世纪以来,全球经济的繁荣持续推动资源利用和污染物排放的增长速度远远超过了技术进步带来的减排速度。世界上富裕的公民对大多数环境影响负有责任,也是任何未来退回到更安全的环境条件的核心。我们总结了证据并提出了可能的解决方案。只有在深远的生活方式改变与技术进步相辅相成的情况下,向可持续性的转变才能有效。然而,现有的社会、经济和文化刺激了消费的扩张,竞争市场经济的结构性增长需要抑制必要的社会变革。