consume
Philosopher Ralf Bodelier’s opinion piece comes just after Earth Overshoot Day; I wonder if he thinks that is nonsense, just like reducing consumption. His reasoning in favor of technological innovation as a solution to all crises is based on the misunderstanding that economic growth is the cause of all the progress he describes.
Economic growth is the result of it: the cumulative consumption and work of billions of people and companies accumulate into economic growth. Every activity has an environmental and climate impact, but some much more than others. And so the footprint differs enormously per Dutch person and earth dweller. Reducing that footprint, that’s what reducing consumption is all about, which works faster than technological innovation. Both are necessary to reduce our footprint. take my lifetime footprintt: in my working life I went to work by bike, train and sometimes by canoe. Compared to colleagues who always took the car, I have roughly 25 thousand liters of petrol, 50 thousand kilos of CO2 and at least 50 thousand euros saved, and a second car and the gym.
But my consumption reduction through my muscle-powered Gazelle hybrid does not count as economic growth, the petrol and car costs of my colleagues do. In any case, their environmental and climate costs do not count towards the economic growth that Bodelier is preaching. Reducing consumption is cycling instead of lazy car rides, a 1,100-kilo station wagon instead of a 1,600-kil thick SUV, camping in France, not to Bali, and so on. It is already practical, usually cheaper or smarter and with the current gas and petrol prices the most advantageous.
Martin Kroonformer policy officer Environmental Management/VROM, Leiden
shopping basket
I like to compare. Also de Volkskrant pays attention to high inflation and the impact on our shopping basket. How disastrous are the price increases of our food? In the 19th century, an average family needed almost all of their income for basic necessities. In 1960, 30 percent of income was needed for food.
We currently spend an average of 10 percent of disposable income on food. That is why we can often eat in restaurants, take long flights, buy electric bicycles, and so on. It seems to me that we can absorb the price increases of food by reducing ‘luxury’ expenditure. And: in the Netherlands there is no shortage of food. I realize that this story does not apply to all Dutch people, but that is not a food problem, but an income problem.
Onno SchweersHorn
Mentality
I found the photo on August 4 quite shocking of the endless row of mostly young white girls who stood in line for hours to sign up for membership of the Amsterdamsch Studenten Corps. And this despite the mentality of the male part of that Corps that finds pleasure and community in labeling women as whores.
To chuckle at such a mentality as a college joke is stupid. Such a mentality is lack of decency. Keep up appearances and cover each other up. Don’t these ladies have principles or are they thrown overboard if they think that being a member can make for nice wheelbarrows later on or do they think they are whores themselves?
Are those boys also called pimps with great pleasure and disdain? Or lover boys? Is this the future generation of executives who find such pleasure in insulting another party? They can learn something from the ‘ordinary man’ who can be far above them in terms of mentality.
Marijke van der ZwaagOuderkerk aan de Amstel
Naturist
It bothers me that de Volkskrant naturists very negatively call nudists. In a progressive newspaper I expect nuance: anyone who enjoys nice weather on the beach and in the sea without restrictive and wet swimwear is not a ‘nudist’ but a naturist.
W. Uncleshello
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