Is the American Lifestyle Unsustainable?
Many “sustainability” advocates start from the premise that an open, dynamic economy is inherently unsustainable because producers and consumers are primarily concerned with their own self-interest. Without a centralized control mechanism, it is argued, the economy expands infinitely while the earth’s resources are finite. Thus, promoting capitalism on a global scale will only accelerate the process towards eventual collapse. Fortunately, empirical trends of the past 50-75 years suggest a very different conclusion. Economic indicators show that the U.S. economy is becoming steadily more efficient and less polluting over time, and there is no reason this trend should not continue indefinitely. Measuring Sustainability The most direct measure of sustainability is the amount of energy consumed per unit of economic output. If an economic system takes increasing amounts of energy over time to produce the same unit of output, then it’s unlikely to sustain itself. On the other hand, an econom
