Ecological debt and maturation

In chapter 5, Great expectations – The psychodynamic of ecological debt, Rosemary Randall defines the term ecological debt.   Ecological debt is a way of reframing an individual’s impacts upon the natural environment.  A person grows an ecological debt by using more natural resources then their “fair share” (p. 89), or participating in a lifestyle that pushes an ecosystem to its breaking point. Rosemary follows up by stating how one recognizes the beginning of ecological debt. To better illustrate this term she uses the analogy of a child through their development.  As a baby/child you are completely dependent on the parents and do not recognize how you burden them.  As a child matures, then slowly see their parents as more than perfect servants.  And finally, the child develops enough to recognize how they have burdened their parents and will do what they can to make their parents’ lives more comfortable. In this example, the child eventually owes his/her parents. 

In the chapter Rosemary describes who an ecological debt can be owed to. It can be potentially owed to “other people, species and habitats, future generations, and the global commons” (p.90). This is an interesting point to me because she neglects to mention that this debt can be owed also to self. If a child were never develop enough to recognize their parents sacrifice, is the child not missing an important aspect of personal growth?  Similarly, by not recognizing the sacrifice the planet is making for our lives are we not missing an important opportunity to grow and mature in the ways in which we interact with the world?