Fewer, Richer, Greener

25Ecomodernism: A Way Forward

Although it sounds new and edgy, ecomodernism just means using technology (instead of “degrowth”) to improve the environment. It’s what we’ve been doing since we first noticed that the environment was not just a provider of bounty, but also a resource that needed to be preserved and nurtured. The technologies change with the times, but the ongoing effort to develop technologies for improving our surroundings is one of the attributes that make humans unique among species.

As used by the authors of An Ecomodernist Manifesto, a short essay signed by 18 authors, ecomodernism also means the use of economic reasoning, knowledge, and data to prioritize environmental efforts. The authors write:

We offer this statement in the belief that both human prosperity and an ecologically vibrant planet are not only possible, but also inseparable. By committing to the real processes, already underway, that have begun to decouple human well-being from environmental destruction, we believe that such a future might be achieved. As such, we embrace an optimistic view toward human capacities and the future.¹

This statement captures the essence of the “Greener” section of my book. In this chapter, I will summarize their Manifesto and go into detail regarding the chief elements of ecomodernism that I first brought up in Chapter 24, “We Are as Gods”: urbanism, nuclear energy, genetic engineering, and eco- and geoengineering. These are the keys to the decoupling that the ...