The community and sustainability

People have created the economy. People are impacting the environment. People want a fair share of both – whatever that may mean for each person. And yet this aspiration – economic well being and a healthy, general sense of well being continues to elude many people, even in a prosperous country like Australia.

As a community we have the means ie. the resources and the know-how, to build a more just society, to solve poverty, and to stop harming the environment. What’s stopping us? What are we losing as a community by allowing economic discrepancies and damage to the environment to continue?

Countries with strong, extensive welfare services and a higher proportion of national income invested in providing government services, such as– Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, have a higher per capita GDP than free market countries such as Australia and the United States. They also have higher employment rates, vibrant economies with high rates of R&D and innovation. Australia can afford to provide better and more services to meet the needs of more people. That means spending more money on health, education and transport systems.

4Change believes that the community will be better off when we shift policy and practices towards a more sustainable economy and a more sustainable environment.