Decoupling: A New Ecomodernist Paradigm for Humans and Nature

In order to save the Earth, we must roll back the clock and live like pre-industrial civilizations lived.  Or so goes the classic environmental narrative, which blames industrialization, modernity, and human development for what ails Mother Nature.

But as environmental scientist Jesse Ausubel argues in his landmark paper, The Liberation of the Environment, human beings have been committing sins against the environment for thousands of years.  And contrary to conventional wisdom, modernity, development, and technology are not drivers of human-led destruction of the environment. Rather, Ausubel contends, human development is the liberator of the environment.

Over the past 200 years, humans have progressively used less carbon-intensive fuels, spared more land for nature, and continue to decouple economic growth from negative environmental impacts.  Furthermore, our continued use of technology will allow us to construct an environment that is better for humans and better for biodiversity.

Decoupling: A New Ecomodernist Paradigm for Humans and Nature