Sir, – It is encouraging to read the papal encyclical about global environmental deterioration.
Pope Francis refers to reducing growth in some parts of the world in order to provide resources for other places (poorer countries) to experience healthy growth. This is probably essential as we cannot expect the poorer parts of the world not to increase their growth and wealth. However, this will not be easy. In the rich democratic countries it is going to be very difficult to convince the electorate to accept a lower living standard and to transfer resources and investment to poorer countries. The present economic model needs perpetual growth and many economists seem to insist that more growth is essential. In the short term, a serious effort to reduce growth in developed countries may well lead to a global recession or depression while developing countries are starting to grow.
It would be better if we could decouple economic growth from resource depletion, greenhouse gas production and environmental destruction in all countries by increasing efficiency in all sectors of the economy if this is possible.
Whichever route we take economists will have to come up with an economic system that can work in the new scenario. – Yours, etc,
NICK ARMSTRONG,
Dundrum,
Dublin 16.