Swedish spirit of environmentalism

The classical work of Max Weber's "Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism," written by the master of sociology in 1905, clearly demonstrated the critical importance of such features of the Protestant ethic as thrift, modesty in the home, individualism, pedantry and honesty in business relations, equality all jobs. In modern Scandinavian Protestantism as a religion is dead, but the Protestant ethic is alive. That it is largely responsible for the unique features of the Swedish (and in the broader sense - Scandinavian) model of capitalism. Luther translated the Bible into the vulgar language with very few people understood Latin, an emphasis on studying the Scriptures every - all this led to almost total literacy in the XIX century. The principle of individual responsibility of each person before God raised up a nation of individualists. But this individualism is perfectly combined with the willingness to act collectively. Mutual trust among Swedes, according to sociological research, is at the highest level in the harsh climate and small communities, where people often become dependent on collective action, and each one way or another is forced to care for, is not primarily about profit, but about their own reputation, Mutual trust was (and remains) a very useful feature. Lutheran domination of state over church, along with other Protestant traits have led to the special role of the state in Sweden - it was not the mechanism of suppression of the individual, social and guide effective collective action. It also became a tool to align the property imbalances in society - in fact, a conductor egalitarian spirit of the peasant communities. Swedish economy in the twentieth century has undergone an amazing transformation - the country has come a way from the backwoods of European civilization to one of the richest and most technologically advanced nations. The reasons for success are rooted in the same inherited by new generations, the principles of the Protestant ethics - respect to any work, a special emphasis on the importance of technical education, the Swedish "tax morality" (high tax rates accompanied by a corresponding impact: people see their taxes go to improving the quality life), high relative to other countries the level of equality in income, the priority of rights - all these features of modern Swedish model combining the best features of the capitalist and socialist structures. Education gives its fruits, and most Swedes are atheists - the place God has taken a new environmentalism, almost religious concerns about nature and man's relationship to it. And, although this belief has some not fully rational postulates (eg, few Swedes doubt that, for example, human influence on climate is a determining factor in its change), the new dogma as a whole is rational from an economic point of view. Sweden to the Protestant dominated technical occupations has achieved impressive success in engineering, construction and high-tech architecture, electronics, processing, paper production and sale of many "clean" energy saving technologies. This priority of any business is not profit, and ethics. Any presentation of the Swedish company does not begin with the digits of profit, and with success in saving energy, reducing CO2 emissions and minimize environmental damage. Life-cycle economy - not an empty word for Swedish companies, this is their modus vivendi, if anything, the national idea. The idea, worthy of imitation, but not without flaws. When dealing with Swedish businessmen and politicians sometimes think that by throwing the inkwell at the devil neekologichnyh energy sources, they are sometimes too zealous. Aware of this fact and OECD experts, in its recommendations on economic policy in Sweden, they note: "In addition to targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and Sweden has a different climate goals. These are the goals of energy efficiency, renewable energy sources (RES) and RES in the transport sector. These goals were adopted at the EU level, but Sweden takes on a more ambitious commitments. Combinations give rise to additional constraints in the economy and raise the cost of achieving them ... Sweden should think about the implementation of less ambitious national goals "*. What is the Swedish ministry of God environmentalism - is well understood even at the household level: the cost of lit-ra gasoline in Stockholm is over a 60 rub-lei, while a large fraction of the price (almost 70%) of the taxes (including the emission of CO2) * *. Heating average apartment costs about 20-25 thousand rubles-lei. Electricity for households in Sweden are also more expensive than the EU average. The reason for such a merciless price and tax hydrocarbon exorcism the devil is simple - high taxation neekologichnyh forms of energy - is not nothing but a hidden subsidy to producers of renewable energy. In the brutal exactions of all that even remotely smells of oil, it is clear such an extravagant thing, such as solar panels on houses in the new area of ​​Hammarby Stockholm superekologichnom Sjöstad. Some sense in their application is only sverhblagopriyatnom tax regime, although in winter, when there is no sun and the heat needed more than ever, even this powerful factor does not work, alas. But Sweden could significantly reduce the cost of energy due to the further intensification of development is already well established in the country of nuclear power technologies. But there are doubts about its environmental safety (Chernobyl stigma is still in memory). Back in 1980, Sweden has frozen the construction of new nuclear power plants, and the ban was lifted only in 2010. At the same time building new plants is possible only with many reservations and weights. Doubts are still strong, successful experience in France, where 80% of the electricity produced at nuclear power plants and where electricity is the cheapest among the major economies of the EU, does not convince adherents of environmentalism. But the producers of biofuels and biogas production from different waste, wind and sun worshipers (the latter two occupy a tiny fraction of the energy balance), the government is ready to provide a variety of rolls and cakes - without subsidies, the last not reach. Pays for all environmentally conscious population. But if we can, keeping in mind all these shortcomings, say, the Swedish rate for "pure economics" is misguided? No, we can not. In some industries, environmentalism is already producing tangible results. For example, in recent years, Sweden has become a leader in recycling and disposal of garbage and industrial waste. Thus, on average in the EU 37% of waste is processed in Sweden - 48%. Non-reprocessible percentage of garbage in the EU successfully sent to landfill - 45%. In Sweden, as in a landfill is only 3% of all garbage - the greater part of non-reprocessible fraction collector (49%) is burned in the process generates heat and electricity, and in the case of organic waste biogas is obtained. Recycle energy - not a cheap pleasure, but would not dump it better? What you need to do to get them? First, in Sweden, manufacturers of a number of products required to take care of the disposal of its packaging ***. In reality, it turns out that companies pay for the disposal of its musoropererabotchikam packaging. Second, households and companies pay for itself musoropererabotchikam as recycling, and for heating and electricity. Third, help the separate collection of waste - again, something related to ethics. As a result, refining and burning significantly less expensive, and harmful emissions are reduced to almost zero. Here is an example of how the successful synergy of ethics, law and industrial technology. At the exit, we have a better quality of life, nature and technology nezagazhennuyu that Sweden already exports to other EU countries. Unfortunately, developing countries such as Russia, it is difficult learn from this experience - there is no legal basis nor the infrastructure, nor, most importantly, the ethical component. For example, buying Russia advanced Swedish incinerator designed to burn waste separation, but where can I get it, something separate? That burn everything with the emissions. Modernization should begin with ethics! Yes, the Swedes are now very expensive to pay for their desire to get rid of "dirty" economy. But the choice in favor of ecological paths may be correct from an economic point of view. Who can guarantee stable prices for hydrocarbons? No one. The Swedes advance accustomed themselves to their high cost, and, for example, now, during the sharp rise in oil prices, they are more likely than most other countries are protected from these fluctuations. But most importantly - an artificial rise in price of hydrocarbons at the expense of the state policy creates a favorable environment for the creation of new "clean" technologies, energy-efficient production and innovation. And these technologies sooner or later become the basis of the new economy or because of oil price shocks. The Swedish rate for engineering genius, work ethic and ingenuity seems more meaningful. * OECD (2011), OECD Economic Surveys: Sweden 2011, OECD Publishing. ** A large proportion of biofuel used in Sweden is imported from Brazil, where its production is hardly environmentally friendly (eg, plantations of sugar cane from which ethanol is made, cut down the virgin forests of the Amazon). Reducing CO2 emissions in Sweden, partly achieved by increasing the environmental problems in other parts of the world. Not ekologiskt! *** It is interesting that such a requirement led to the evolution of the packaging industry. Volume production of the packaging have been reduced over 20 years at 10%, changed the design and logistical characteristics of the package.