Is it not time to take a more reasoned view of global competition, innovation and advancement in technology? The frenetic competition and spending on armaments has hugely increased after the start of the war in Ukraine and China stance towards Taiwan. Exemplified by the rapid development of me-too products, then counter-products, all reflecting state-of-the-art in lethal technology.
The look-alike armaments reflect design limitations of the technical characteristics being sought; digital engineering, electronic guidance systems, cybernetic spying and artificial intelligence. The similarities in the design of stealth fighters and bombers, nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers are remarkable. Whether we build ballistic missiles, tanks or robot infantry, today’s warfare is essentially technological and very expensive.
The cost of these look-alike armaments, generated by governments and their ‘defense’ budgets, has become quite insane. New armaments to sabre-rattle on the world scene, to exercise ‘soft’ power, influence and deterrence. Running the gauntlet of international competition to possess new weapons, allegedly superior for how long, three months or two years? Followed, inevitably, by yet another round of rearmament.
Today’s arms race and consequent spending has rocketed in practically all major countries, from NATO to Russia, from India to China and Taiwan, Iran, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea and Japan. All for the latest, exciting technology. But is it not time to reflect on the huge costs of such competition? For the consumption of raw materials and energy, more advanced weapon systems that have a relatively short lifespan and result in the stockpiling of surplus and the production waste and pollution.
Why can we never grow-up, and council complementary interdependence, globally, as the single most important objective, for the sake of survival of the Earth system and humanity? By utilizing this vast arms expenditure to cooperate and mitigate the effects of climate change, to value interdependence between production and consumption and complementary assets, characterized by geographical locations, climate, population growth, civilizations, language and culture.
When researching and writing my book ‘PLANT-LIFE, a Walk with Nature’, it became clear that the dynamic instability that characterizes nature, succeeds to create valuable new relationships. Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’, for example, includes the survival of the best alliances in coevolution. In other words, competition to create new innovative relationships through advantageous alliances, that also provide for the functioning of the whole caboodle. Not, through the typically divisive actions of human beings, focusing just on one tribe, country, politics and religious belief, nurtured through forms of doctrine and fundamentalism, creating division, hatred and war.
How can we arrive at a more peaceful cohabitation of the Earth, without striving to dominate over others, assuming, instead, the collective and fundamental caretaker responsibility toward all living things and the Earth system?
In my book, human arrogance and indifference toward nature, is illustrated by the fact that we currently take an average 39% of the net terrestrial primary produce while counting for less than 0.1% of the total biomass. Obviously unsustainable, also reflected by population growth; 1.5 billion in 1850, 7.8 billion in 2022, projected to increase to 9 billion in 2050. Must we continue our traditional behavior; exhausting the resources only to move-on, without the slightest interest to repair damage inflicted on the Earth system?
Furthermore, it is one thing to say that we can manage to feed all people on our planet, quite another to enable all people to live with dignity, or to find the resources for all and sundry to enjoy a standard of living typical of developed countries. It is one thing for Food-Aid to throw bags of rice to starving people, quite another to establish Internet networks and shower people with cellular telephones and infrastructure! It is estimated that to provide a Western standard of living to all people, would require the resources of four Earth planets! Alternatively, it requires a massive redistribution of resources and wealth throughout the world; about 17% of the world population now consumes 80% of the resources. And, as a consequence, renewed attention is needed to contain population growth.
Why do we not yet accept that the environment in which we live is not exclusively ours (our property) but a shared entity between the whole of humanity? Will this same human reluctance extend to outer space, our racing to stick a national flag on an asteroid, planet or human settlement? Our responsibility to ourselves and to our planet is way above all other considerations, geopolitical maneuvering, saber rattling and warfare. It is way above the conflict between China and the USA, between Russia and NATO. It is way above the narcissistic desires of one man to cancel Ukraine from the map. Never before has there been such a dire need for behavioral change and global cooperation in the interests of the entire world. Must we wait for an alien attack from outer space?
Another aspect brought out in my book is the limitation of modern technology by its functional simplicity in terms of its non-integration in any way, with the Earth’s ecology. We can design and manufacture a flying car or an anti-tank missile, but what other substances, functions or services do they provide for ALL living things, not just human beings? A single plant (see illustration) succeeds to convert light to chemical energy, it is open to and adapts to environmental challenges and changes, it provides food, aesthetic qualities, recycles water and minerals, absorbs carbon and releases oxygen to the atmosphere. It contributes to fertile soil structure. It might contain oils and biofuels, culinary and medical substances. What products and services do our latest armaments or a Space rocket provide to assist the functioning of the Earth system? And yet, we still think we are so sapient and above the rest of nature!
In conclusion, my book PLANT-LIFE, a Walk with Nature, places the world of modern technology under scrutiny, because our continued and accelerating usury of our planet’s resources will no longer be tolerated by the Earth system. From a detailed examination of the relationships between plants and the environment, the book draws important principles that underlie evolution and biodiversity of all living things, including Homo insapiens.
Being competitive today requires highly sophisticated and far-reaching concepts, completely different to the crude, simplistic competition that lies on the tongues of many politicians and business leaders. In the future, more successful competition will come, not only from innovative technology, but also, from reducing the costs of competition by finding and applying the best forms of complementary interdependence and alliances with partners, nationally and internationally.
Finally, a new economic indicator is urgently required, that measures economic growth after subtracting the cost of environmental sustainability. For example, calculating the cost of fossil fuel consumption that enable the annual GDP Gross Domestic Product, for any given country. © Edward Bent July 2022
