Back in 2005, the Environment Protection Authority calculated what Victorians demand of nature to sustain la dolce vita. Each Victorian has a global "footprint" bigger than the average Australian. Only the United States, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates tax the planet more.

Earth Overshoot means that we are reducing the ability of the earth's land and water to support humans and other species into the future. If we conquer climate change without depleting other natural assets, we can rebalance our Earth budget.

The EPA was asking Victorians to peel back their profligate ways: eat one meal fewer of red meat each week, catch public transport, set up a teleconference meeting instead of flying to Sydney, buy green power and stop wasting food. However, consumption can be reduced by good "green" and sustainable living, but adding more people simply offsets any "savings". So, with an economy based on raising revenue from real estate and land releases, why bother?
National President of SPA, Dr John Coulter, says the combination of high consumption and too many people for the resources available underlie the problem.

"Our numbers and activities are placing us in overshoot with respect to the environment," says Dr Coulter. "To continue on this trajectory will lead to environmental collapse.”

It's assumed that Victorians have an estimated 30 to 40 year lot supply of land for future housing. These "developments" assume that "vacant" land is a wasted resource unless there is concrete, lawns and housing on it. "Developments" are an environmental threat, to our food and water security, and to semi-urban wildlife - and Victoria's integrity. Victoria is already in ecological overshoot. Native species are losing habitat to increase human "carrying capacity".

It seems that the free market economy will continue its rampage of growth until we hit the wall of Nature's limits, and then what? It will deprive us of locally produced food, and we will see declining productivity due to congestion on the roads, lack of power to travel to work, hunger, homelessness, crime, and poverty increasingly left to non-government charities to fix. Energy and water could end up so expensive that people will end up using lamps, candles, generators and tank water? High rise will be family hostile, and lead to more anti-social behaviour and slums. Cities and nations should be designed for people, not to derive economic benefits from amassing humans for an doomed economic model.

From the horses mouth...

"One of the world's most powerful business leaders has applauded the Government's move to put a price on carbon, but says his company will need to import foreign workers to make its Australian operations competitive.

Peter Voser, the global CEO of Shell, says Australia's productivity is a "real concern".

'"You've got the high Australian dollar, you've got the scarce work force, and therefore we are concerned about the overall rate at which we are paying for Australian labour and clearly that needs some intervention," he said.'

Shell keen to import foreign workers of 21 June by 7.30's Leigh Sales

So there it is, the government listens to executives from multi-national corporations but not the Australian people.

One of the key drivers for immigration is to force down labor costs so that multi-nationals can exploit our resources as quickly as possible, as cheaply as possible.

What do you do with traitors and robbers?

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Limits to growth