Thread by @amcafee

#MorefromLess BOOK THREAD
My new book “More from Less” is now available for preorder. Here are 10 of its main claims: amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

1. We have finally learned to tread more lightly on our planet, as evidence from the US shows. Total consumption of most resources is now trending downward over time, a phenomenon called “dematerialization.” Pollution levels are also falling. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

… This is not a US-only phenomenon. @ChrisGoodall2 found that the UK is now reducing its consumption of resources, and Eurostat shows similar trends for several EU countries. My conclusion: the rich world has learned to tread more lightly on the Earth. carboncommentary.com/blog/2011/10/3…

2. This change is NOT due to globalization / offshoring. The US remains a major manufacturer, and the Global Carbon Project estimates that US CO2 emissions are well below their peak even once imports are taken into account. ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-…

3. Dematerialization is also not happening because of recycling, rationing, or lots of people deciding to consume less or go back to the land. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

4. So what IS causing us to dematerialize our consumption and let us get more (prosperity) from less (of the earth)? The one-two punch of capitalism and tech progress. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

… the nasty competition inherent in true capitalism gives companies ample incentive to save money on materials (a penny saved is a penny earned, after all), and modern tech progress gives firms all kinds of ways to substitute bits for atoms. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

5. During the Industrial Era, tech progress allowed us to take more from the Earth year after year, and we did. Then we invented the computer and the network and entered the Second Machine Age, and the situation changed. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

… The digital techs of the 2nd Machine Age are what have allowed us to start getting more from less. Think, for example, how much physical gear and media have vanished into the smartphone. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

6. But capitalism and tech progress aren’t sufficient to let us take better care of our planet. They don’t automatically deal with the externality of pollution, nor do they inherently protect our fellow creatures. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

… so we need another pair of forces. These are public awareness (that air pollution is harmful, that we should save the whales, etc.) and responsive governments that act on the desires of their people. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

7. Capitalism, tech progress, public awareness, and responsive governments are “the four horsemen of the optimist.” When all 4 are in place now we simultaneously improve both the human condition and the state of nature. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

8. All 4 horsemen are advancing around the world at present. Digital tools are spreading rapidly, more countries have market economies, more people are educated and sympathetic to others, and democracy, despite some setbacks, is spreading. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

9. We know the playbook for dealing with global warming. Greenhouse gases are pollution, and we’ve had great success reducing pollution by making it expensive (via cap and trade or a tax), then letting capitalism and tech progress make it scarce. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

… more broadly, we now know the playbook for improving BOTH the human condition AND the state of nature. We don’t need to yank the steering wheel of our economies and societies in a different direction via central planning, rationing, etc… amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

… we just need to step on the accelerator and get MORE tech progress, true (not crony) capitalism, public awareness, and responsive government around the world. amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…

10. Final claim, and a preachy one: we have obligations to take care of each other, and of our planet. So as Mary Harris “Mother” Jones advised, “Sit down and read. Educate yourself for the coming conflicts.” I’d love it if you read “More from Less.” amazon.com/More-Less-Surp…