The transformations caused by industrialisation are ambivalent: Progress in
technology, medicine, science, human well being, mobility, food security, etc. contrasts
with the degradation of the environment and implied health impairments for human
beings. The latter has occurred, because humans created many more sources than sinks
and artificial material flows exceeded the natural ones; in that way, waste and toxic
matter accumulated in the biosphere. Genius ideas of scientists and inventors, as well
as treasures generated by nature inside the Earth were utilised and exploited
economically. Innate behaviour, ideologies, traditional economic systems, and
permanent growth marginalised ecological concerns. Insufficient technological
diversity, population growth, and energy subsidies entailed dependencies and the risk
of resource depletion. Recommendations to avoid further aggravation of the ecological
crisis are: Dematerialisation; terminating the use of fossil energy carriers; ecological,
social, and humanitarian concerns must be equally entitled beside economic concerns;
realistic pricing of products and fair trade; shift to economic systems and human
reproductive societies characterised by sufficiency; fostering of positive human
creativity and intellect, as well as fine arts, aesthetics, and morals.
Keywords: Creativity, Dependencies, Dematerialisation, Ecology, Economy,
Environmental degradation, Exploitation, Extraction, Fairness, Fine arts, Human
development, Human spirit, Humanities, Ideologies, Industrialisation, Innate
behaviour, Material flows, Morals, Risk society, Subsidies, Sufficiency.