The economist Iñaki Barredo talks about how to advance an economy that increases quality of life standards and offers ample development opportunities while improving the environment. The “squaring of the circle” and effectively from the linear way in which we are used to thinking, it sounds really utopian to propose that more growth and development can be achieved with less environmental impact.
“On excessive occasions, people look at the environment as a responsibility of others,” says Barredo. From companies that pollute and from institutions that do not control enough, but the reality is that a good part of production decisions with their corresponding environmental and regulatory impacts are strongly conditioned by citizens. There is no other choice but to change our pattern of consumption and not only because the potential for environmental improvement is enormous, but simply because getting out of the spiral of vain consumerism in which our society is increasingly hooked, it will make us much happier. It is about radically changing our way of shopping, making it more sophisticated and intelligent to better choose what we really need and also opening up to new paradigms such as shared use (of vehicles, homes, electrical appliances,…), servitization (buying services, which is what we need and not goods) and increasing reuse (extending the useful life of products), which offer new perspectives with great potential for development
And in tune with these social developments, more eco-innovation and eco-design that takes the environment into account at all stages of the product life cycle, which will save us an unimaginable amount of resources. physical and economic and, most importantly, it will open up a new universe of business and social opportunities in which the Basque Country can position itself as a global benchmark. In short, it is a question of articulating a green and innovative economy for development that is worthwhile for people.
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