Sustainable Growth – A Threat to Private Property (Part 1)



Jim Harbison

This editorial is based on an article from the American Policy Center and is the first of two parts. In his book “Earth in the Balance” Al Gore warned that a “wrenching transformation” must take place to lead America away from the horrors of the Industrial Revolution. The process to do that is called Sustainable Development. The objective of Sustainable Development is to integrate economic, social and environmental policies in order to achieve reduced consumption, social equity, and the preservation and restoration of biodiversity. Sustainable Development calls for changing the very infrastructure of the nation, away from private ownership and control of property through central planning of the entire economy – often referred to as top-down control. Truly Sustainable Development is designed to change our entire way of life. It is a form of wealth redistribution. It is a masterful mixture of socialism (with its top-down control of the economy) and fascism (where property is owned in name only-with no control).

Al Gore

Locally, the operative term is Sustainable Growth. The language which the City Council now uses includes such terms as “community development,” “historic preservation,” “public-private partnerships,” ”visioning,” “open space,” and “consensus.” These terms are all necessary to implement Sustainable Development which has come to mean denied use of and protection of resources from the people. It has become a code word for “social justice.” Accepting the perception that Sustainable Growth is simply good environmental stewardship is a serious and dangerous mistake. It insists that society be transformed into feudal-like governance by making nature the central organizing principle of our economy and society. Every societal decision must be determined by how it might affect the environment. To achieve this transformation sustainable growth initiatives focus on three components: global land use; global education; and global population control. Private property is incompatible with the premise of Sustainable Growth especially when you consider the UN’s report from the Habit conference which said “Land … cannot be treated as an ordinary asset, controlled by individuals and subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market. Private land ownership is also a principle instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth, therefore, contributes to social injustice.” Read rest of column here:

Sustainable Growth – A Threat to Private Property (Part 1)