The Coming Enviro-Industrial Revolution
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The Corning Enviro-lndustrial Révolution In 1914 the United States was the world's largest debtor, owing 20% of its GNP to foreigners who also owned most of its chemical, communications and transportation industries. The vast portion of this money was owed to Great Britain, and there were those who claimed that Great Britain was achieving economically what she had failed to gain in the War of Independence. But the borrowed money was invested primarily in the expansion of the U.S. railroad System, which in rurn fueled a great industrial expansion. The resulting industrial might not only repaid those debts but contributed heavily to the Allied victories in both World War I and H. Today the United States has a GNP larger than Japan, France, Britain, and West Germany together, and we only owe 10% of it to foreigners. In addition the U.S. economy also leads ail other nations in industrial worker productivity, spending on research and development, and number of scientists and engineers. However, many indicators signal that our économie leadership is on the décline. Our position as a debtor nation has been steadily increasing, and we continue to import larger amounts of energy and more and more high tech items. Only in the aerospace industry do we maintain a commanding export lead.
I believe the U.S. is on the verge of a new cycle of reinvestment and expansion in which materials (and thus MRS) will play a central rôle. Many believe that this économie décline will inevitably continue to the year 2000 and beyond. I am not one of them. I believe the United States is on the verge of a new cycle of reinvestment and expansion in which materials (and thus MRS) will play a central rôle.
Why do I hold such an optimistic view? Because unlike almost ail nations in the world, our economy has been of secondary concern for the past 55 years. Our primary efforts and a great proportion of our wealth hâve been directed to winning the Cold War. Our allies, whose économies flourished while we pursued this goal, assisted us by lending us the money required to complète the task. This act was of itself a vote of confidence that we would eventually prevail. And together we hâve prevailed—in achieving not a military victory but an économie vietory made possible by the superior ideas of Western democracy. This having been achieved, the United States can now turn attention to its economy with the same steadfast commitment it exhibited in achieving its previous goal. The outeome, in my opinion, is certain. However, the transition period in which we now find ourselves is crucial. We often hear a debate centered around the "Défense Dividend" and how we should spend it. Some doubt that it will even exist. Military spending has always been perceived as a mixed bag in regard to its effect on the economy. Some believe that it saps our economy by diverting investment funds from other industrial areas necessary to be internationally compétitive. Prof. Susan W Sanderson of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's School of Management has argued that the Pentagon
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