Democracy
& Nature, Vol. 5,
No. 3
The paradox of ecological
economics and sustainable development
Serge
Latouche
Abstract:
The earth summit
that took place in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 underlined the growing importance
of the concept of sustainable development. But the contradictory relations
between development and environment are tied to the problematic relations
between economy and ecology. The rush of the globalized economy into a boundless
accumulation and competition contributes to eliminate all care of the oikos and
of any kind of environmental or cultural aspect that attempts to escape from
“merchandization” and the logic of profit. In fact, the concept of
sustainable development is but the latest attempt to allay the “bad” sides
of economic growth. The integration of environmental elements into economic
calculating does not modify the nature of market economy nor the logic of the
modernity. The pressure to get round the ecological imperative is permanent.
Only thanks to an everyday “counter-pressure” by public opinion one may hope
to see it observed.
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