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Even on its own terms, growth isn't working. We avoid talking about the skewed distribution of the planet's wealth and income, dreaming instead that we can grow our way out of the problem. So the richest 20% of the world's population consumes the lion's share of resources, while the poorest 80% have to get by on the crumbs. And the ratios are getting worse. Growth is an excuse for continued inequality. But, more importantly, countless studies show that beyond a certain point higher levels of material consumption do not lead to increased well-being or happiness.
就其本身來說，增長也并未起作用。我們總是避免談論全球財富和收入分配的不平均和不合理，而是夢想著我們能夠通過經濟增長解決這些問題。所以世界最大份額的資源人口中最富有的20%的人消耗了最大份額的資源，而最貧窮的80%的人不得不靠剩下的少量資源湊合生活。這個分配比例正變得更糟糕。經濟增長是貧富不均繼續存在的原因。然而更為重要的是，無數研究表明，物質消費水平超過某一點以后，更高水平的消費并不能帶來更多的安康和幸福。
Per capita GDP has tripled in the United States since 1950, but the percentage of people who say they are happy has declined since the 1970s. Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, in their book The Spirit Level, note that poor nations with lower inequality have higher levels of well-being than richer but more unequal nations. We place growth above equality and pay a price in what's called "the hidden injuries of class." Shorter, unhealthier, and unhappier lives addicted to a mindless consumerism that is depleting the planet's resources.
自20世紀50年代以來，美國人均GDP已經增長了3倍，但是，自20世紀70年代起說自己幸福的人的比例卻下降了。理查德•威爾金森和凱特•皮克特在他們的《精神水平》一書中指出：與貧富差距水平較高的富有國家相比，貧富差距水平較低的貧窮國家的人們的幸福指數更高。我們將經濟增長凌駕于平等之上，結果造成所謂的“社會等級的隱性傷害"。人們的生命更短、生活更不健康、更不幸福，而且人們沉迷于盲目的消費主義之中，這種盲目的消 費主義正在耗盡地球的資源。
Free market cheerleaders believe that technology and human ingenuity will solve the problem. The economy can be "de-coupled" from material inputs, they claim, and improved technology will allow us to produce more wealth with less energy, materials, and waste. This is whistling in the dark. Between 1970 and 2000, rich countries saw impressive gains in energy efficiency of up to 40%; but average improvements of 2% a year were eclipsed by growth rates of 3% or more. Increased technical efficiency is swamped by increased consumption.
自由市場的鼓吹者們認為，技術的進步和人類的聰明才智將會解決這個問題。他 們揚言，經濟能和物質投入分離開來,改進的技術將幫助我們用更少的能源和原料生產出更多的財富，并產生較少的廢物。這種說法完全是在黑暗中吹口哨，自己給自己壯膽。1970年到2000年期間，富裕國家能源效率的增長驚人，高達40%;但是與每年3%甚至更高的經濟增長速度的提高相比，平均每年2%的能源效率的提高則相形見絀。提高的技術效率被增加的消費吞沒了。
