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Tag Archives: infinite growth
Nature’s Breaking Point
Nature’s Breaking Point Photo by Karl-Ludwig Poggemann | CC BY 2.0 Ever wonder how the classical philosophers/economists like Adam Smith and David Ricardo would view today’s credo of infinite economic growth, forever more, above and beyond yesteryear. Well, in a word, they would be horrified. Ricardo, similar to the father of capitalism Adam Smith, believed […]
We need to end growth dependency, but how?
We need to end growth dependency, but how? Introduction: escaping growth-dependency It has long been understood that the standard economic prescription of economic “growth”, to fix multiple economic, social and environmental ills, is highly implausible3. This stems from the elementary observation that you cannot expand the material throughput of the economy (the materials and energy it […]
Betting the Earth on a Game of Wrap-Cut-Smash
Betting the Earth on a Game of Wrap-Cut-Smash Photo by Kevin Gill | CC BY 2.0 The Earth is having to deal with continuous, largely unchecked emissions of greenhouse gases, along with soil degradation, mass extinction of species, destruction of ecosystems, and disruption of nitrogen, phosphorous, and water cycles. Meanwhile, efforts to head off the […]
The Seneca Cliff Explained: a Three Dimensional Collapse Overview Model
The Seneca Cliff Explained: a Three Dimensional Collapse Overview Model A Three Dimensional Collapse Overview Model In this post, Geoffrey Chia illustrates one of the fundamental characteristics of the “Seneca Effect”, also known as “collapse,” the fact that it occurs in networked systems dominated by feedback interactions. This is a qualitative interpretation of collapse that […]
Capitalism, the State and the Drowning of America
Capitalism, the State and the Drowning of America Photograph Nathaniel St. Clair As Hurricane Harvey lashed Texas, Naomi Klein wasted no time in diagnosing the “real root causes” behind the disaster, indicting “climate pollution, systemic racism, underfunding of social services, and overfunding of police.” A day after her essay appeared, George Monbiot argued that no […]
The Fallacy of Endless Economic Growth
THE FALLACY OF ENDLESS ECONOMIC GROWTH What economists around the world get wrong about the future. The idea that economic growth can continue forever on a finite planet is the unifying faith of industrial civilization. That it is nonsensical in the extreme, a deluded fantasy, doesn’t appear to bother us. We hear the holy truth […]
Moral economy: a different way of thinking about the future
Moral economy: a different way of thinking about the future The current economic system has ‘wealth extraction’ masquerading as ‘wealth creation’ to the long-term detriment of everybody, even the super rich. New thinking is needed. Coal shovels at work in Randolph County, Illinois c. 1970. Katy McClelland/Flickr. (CC 2.0 by-nc-nd)You know something is grotesquely wrong […]
Extinction, the New Environmentalism and the Cancer in the Wilderness
Extinction, the New Environmentalism and the Cancer in the Wilderness The word is in from the wildlife biologists. Say goodbye in North America to the gray wolf, the cougar, the grizzly bear. They are destined for extinction sometime in the next 40 years. Say goodbye to the Red wolf and the Mexican wolf and the […]
The decoupling debate: can economic growth really continue without emission increases?
The decoupling debate: can economic growth really continue without emission increases? Most ecological economists argue that continued economic growth is incompatible with ecological safety. That is to say continued increases in Gross Domestic Product, (GDP and also Gross Value Added, GVA) cannot happen while reducing ecological impacts in general, and climate change-causing greenhouse gas (GHG) […]
Here’s Why the Status Quo Is Doomed
Here’s Why the Status Quo Is Doomed The problem is the Status Quo only works in a world with plenty of room to expand. The central illusion of this era is that the Status Quo can be reformed or saved.All we need to do is (or so we’re told): 1. Get money out of politics […]
Review of Collision Course (Endless Growth on a Finite Planet)
Review of Collision Course (Endless Growth on a Finite Planet) Kerryn Higgs, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2014 This informative book is about the rise of economic growth to the status of the number one goal of nations; the short-lived challenge to that dogma from the book The Limits to Growth (1972); the solidity of the Limits position as confirmed by […]
If We’re Going To Borrow Against The Future, Let’s Borrow To Invest
If We’re Going To Borrow Against The Future, Let’s Borrow To Invest The are much better ways to spend the next $1 Trillion We are at an important juncture as a global society: either we immediately prioritize a new trajectory focused on creating a positive, functional future or — by continuing the consumptive, extractive, exploitative status […]
Adjusting the Fifth to a Finite Planet, Part II
Adjusting the Fifth to a Finite Planet, Part II Editor’s Note: This is the second piece of a two-part post. You can read Part 1 here. Among the avenues by which Takings case law could be adapted to the reality of a finite planet are these three: One: Change the default by changing the definition of […]
