The British scientific magazine Nature asked the following question to Bush and Kerry the two candidates to the US presidency. “Many environmental prob_lems can be attributed to the high levels of consumption in developed nations such as the US. Can science and technology allow everyone on the planet toreach these levels of consumption? Or do Americans need to change their lifestyles and consume less?” The answer by President Bush stood out: “America in a very real sense has changed, not by consuming less, but by consuming and pro_ducing smarter. We have proven that economic growth makes possible the environmental progress our country has achieved and will continue to achieve in the future..” This answer truly exposes the deep root of Bush’s ideology. First is the blithe acceptance of the US’s overconsumptive ways. Bush suggests that massive con_sumption levels are fine because they are “smart:’ This makes no sense. Producing and consuming smarter means doing more with less, that’s the “smart” part, but Bush (and many americans) will never question their right to consume.
• source: Consumption • See also XlnkS6B3