GRAP 2030 // Week 8 // Tutorial Script

“One core assumption is that indefinite economic growth is possible and necessary—and, moreover, that “emerging” economies should follow the path of industrial development and intensive agriculture to ensure ever more consumption, and thus prosperity and stability.”

“Today, just about every state is managing the global environment in ways that do not impeded economic growth or deter multinational investors, trade, and financing. Most see this as necessary to maintain political and social stability as well as implement environmental regulations… Given the current world economy, most states, and international organisations work hard to avoid currency crashes and capital flight, which can cause not only social but also environmental havoc, as was the case in Indonesia after the Asian financial crisis of 1977–99.”

Think about this statement in regards to our current COVID-19 crisis—it is important in recognising that human emotion and reaction to their ability to live comfortable and stable lives can lead to mistrust of Governments and systems and a more reactive approach to environmental concerns. An example of this is “panic buying” recently, where we saw a massive uptake in the purchase of toilet paper because people had the idea or feeling that things were uncertain. In the United States, armed protestors who're fighting for their "rights" to return to life as normal.

Is this statement true and what do you think of it in regards to the video?

GDP What is it?

This is the value of all goods and services that the economy produces, and this is linked to the huge, complicated system integrating suppliers, finances, producers, wholesalers, and retailers.

But, this number does take into account “cooking, cleaning, childrearing” work in the house. It doesn’t calculate qualitative values such as “people’s health or a clean environment”. Nor, the distribution of income or wealth. Quality of life.

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2020/01/14/795623755/moving-beyond-gdp

One of the panelists was the Nobel Prize-winning Princeton economist Angus Deaton, who has spent the last few years researching the rising numbers of "deaths of despair," which is when struggling people die from self-inflicted causes, like suicide and drug overdoses. "Life expectancy has fallen for three years in a row," Deaton said. "One of the major drivers of that is the opioid epidemic, which has so far killed over 200,000 Americans." Pharmaceutical companies, he said, have made billions off this epidemic. "We've got a system that's really killing people—and we're counting that money as part of GDP. That's gotta be crazy."

Let us return back to our ideas from last week. That ethical design concerns itself with persons, relations, situations and context. If we’re focussed solely on a number that catalogues a countries wealth over wellbeing then we might lean towards the economy as opposed to human response.

Perhaps we should measure the wealth of a country via another statistic? Sometimes this is referred to as well-being. I won't go into detail about it but it's an interesting idea.

Chicken Tax

Question:

• What are some of the best working vehicles (specifically utes) that you can think of? Where are they manufactured and who makes them?
• Now, think of the United States—what trucks might you see in the US?

Here’s some fun to demonstrate how globalisation can work in combination with economics.

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/01/25/511663527/episode-632-the-chicken-tax

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93United_States_trade_war

Recycling, Incineration and Globalisation

Says Peter Dauvergne:

“Moreover, mass-producing goods in developing countries with low environmental standards tends to pollute rivers, soils, and water supplies. Some corporations in the First World are also shipping garbage and hazardous waste to poorer countries (such as computer waste to China). Everywhere, corporations also spew dangerous substances … into the air, poisons that eventually fall back to earth…”

China has actually refused to accept garbage and recycling of waste from many countries around the world in order to focus on their own wellbeing, a result of their improved economic position. As a result, a lot of what we think might be going to recycling, isn't.

So, what do we do with recycling now, when economics makes it more expensive to dump than to clean? In Japan, they have a strict recycling policy dividing various plastics, glass, and papers into a separate bins to make recycling easier. You are also encouraged to wash the bottles to make it easier to recycling. And. waste is incinerated to generate energy and reduce landfill, with non-combustibles turned into bricks that may be used to build.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/china-has-stopped-accepting-our-trash/584131/

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-21/the-japanese-waste-incinerator-that-has-its-own-tripadvisor-page/9780872

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/02/18/environment/wasteland-tokyo-grows-trash/

COVID-19

Think about the following questions in regards to the concept of globalisation—what changes have you seen effected at a global scale, and why, and how do these changes filter down to your personal engagement with the world at large and closer to home among your community?

Questions

• What global systems have been affected by COVID-19 and how has this impacted the way that we live today? Think about food, transport, travel, entertainment, social. What have you noticed?
• How has COVID-19 changed your shopping habits, particularly in regards to food and clothing?
• How has COVID-19 affected your social lives? Are you communicating differently, speaking with different people, finding others ways to stay connected?
• Have you begun to appreciate any design artefacts now that you're spending more time with it?
• Have you begun to really dislike a design artefact now that you're spending more time with it?
• Have there been any positive outcomes from this disruption?
• Have there been any negative outcomes from this disruption?
• Do you miss shopping? What is it about shopping that you miss?
• What changes have been made at a global level as a result?
• What changes have been made at a local level?