Man, this is a hard problem. People in the first worlds have the luxury of talking about steady state - but people in developing countries are still trying to achieve standard of living that people in developed countries already enjoyed for decades.
For those in third world countries, any talk of slowing down their rate of economic growth is a non-starter.
All the proof in the world wouldn't matter, I'm afraid. You can't use logic to convince people who already believed in an inherently illogical argument.
I suppose there already is standardization in industrial design. And for good reasons! For example, hot water knob is to the left of the faucet, cold water to the right. Brake pedal in a car is to the left, gas pedal to the right. Turn signals are to the left of the steering column, with up being right and down being left. Manual gear shift is uniform, etc etc.
What? I've been wrong all my life!
For those in third world countries, any talk of slowing down their rate of economic growth is a non-starter.
After having a couple of nearby supermarkets close down, I'm all for things that will help small businesses survive.