What has kept humming at the back of my mind is a sentence from the interview, where Forrester says:
Sustainable development is an oxymoron
Oxymoron means contradiction is terms. For example, the term “hot ice” is an oxymoron. Similarly, Forrester feels “sustainable” and “development” don’t go together.
What is sustainable development after all?
These are initiatives and new businesses where one kind of resource such as fossil fuel is replaced with another such as wind or solar. And one type of technology is replaced with another so called green technology. Plastic is replaced with a biodegradable material and so on.
And why does Forrester say, “sustainable development” is an oxymoron?
He says we are trying to solve the symptoms rather than the real problem. We feel technology can solve all problems. However, the real problem is something different.
So what is the real problem?
Real problem is the deep rooted cultural belief that growth is good and can go on forever. And hence Forrester believes that the biggest management problem is going to be to understand how to manage successful non-growing company – and how to get out of the frame of mind that success is measured only by growth.
I attended your session during wicamp@iisc.. the idea that any growth comes with consumption of more resources, and a positive feedback is set in the system.
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