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Tag Archives: growth
Our Economy In a Nutshell
Our Economy In a Nutshell The economy has reached an inflection point where everything that is unsustainable finally starts unraveling. Our economy is in a crisis that’s been brewing for decades. The Chinese characters for the English word crisis are famously–and incorrectly–translated as danger and opportunity. The more accurate translation is precarious plus critical juncture or inflection point. Beneath its […]
Our Impending Impasse and Sid Smith’s New Series
Our Impending Impasse and Sid Smith’s New Series Keowee Toxaway State Park, South Carolina I have a backlog of articles I have started but haven’t yet finished, so I’m starting with this one which has to do with our impending impasse. I think William Catton, Jr. worded that very well. It actually comes from his […]
The Gathering Stagflationary Storm
STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images The Gathering Stagflationary Storm While recent shocks have made the current inflationary surge and growth slowdown more acute, they are hardly the global economy’s only problems. Even without them, the medium-term outlook would be darkening, owing to a broad range of economic, political, environmental, and demographic trends. NEW YORK – […]
Geopolitics and Degrowth
Geopolitics and Degrowth The Geopolitics of Degrowth holds that real power flows not from waste, centralization and coercion but from decentralization, relocalization and the free flow of value. Conventional geopolitics is all about more: more military power, more sanctions, more coercion, more influence. The Geopolitics of Degrowth is all about the the power of less: wasting less, consuming less, needing less […]
Beyond the clash of empires
Beyond the clash of empires A world of living places Empire’s law – The unbridled pursuit of power I’ve seen this movie before. A large and powerful nation attacks a small and weaker nation. Fiery explosions light up the night. Their thunder roars across the landscape while armored columns roll over the border. Shock and […]
Has the World Gone Mad?
Has the World Gone Mad? Understanding the crisis in Ukraine from a peak resource perspective No, this war is not (just) about getting Ukraine’s resources. Other political ambitions aside, this one is more about the rest of Europe loosing its energy carriers, together with its political power — and stability. It is no wonder that […]
The devil is in the detail
The devil is in the detail If you get your news from the BBC, you might be forgiven for thinking that the economic hit from the pandemic lockdowns and restrictions has come to an end. Indeed, if you merely skim through the headlines in your social media feed, you might believe that the UK is […]
#222. The Forecast Project
#222. The Forecast Project PREDICTING THE ECONOMY OF THE FUTURE In the Western world, at least, there’s an almost palpable sense of public uncertainty, anxiety and discontent which might be attributed to a variety of causes. Some ascribe it to specific issues, some to the over-reach and incompetence (or worse) of governments, and others to widening […]
#220. The human factor
#220. The human factor CONTINUITY, CONTRACTION OR COLLAPSE Over an extended period, but with growing intensity in recent times, there has been a discussion, here and elsewhere, about whether we can prevent economic contraction from turning into collapse. This is part of a broader debate in which every point of view seems to begin with the letter C. The […]
Vaclav Smil: We Must Leave Growth Behind
Vaclav Smil: We Must Leave Growth Behind Illustration: Stevie Remsberg/Intelligencer. Photo: Andreas Laszlo Konrath On September 23, the United Nations opened its Climate Action Summit here in New York, three days after the Global Climate Strike, led by Greta Thunberg, swept through thousands of cities worldwide. To mark the occasion, Intelligencer will be publishing “State of the […]
Vaclav Smil: ‘Growth must end. Our economist friends don’t seem to realise that’
Vaclav Smil: ‘Growth must end. Our economist friends don’t seem to realise that’ The scientist and author on his latest book – an epic, multidisciplinary analysis of growth – and why humanity’s endless expansion must stop. Vaclav Smil is a distinguished professor emeritus in the faculty of environment at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. […]
Putting Post Growth Theory Into Practice
Putting Post Growth Theory Into Practice The Post Growth Entrepreneurship Incubator helps founders break free from traditional business models and implement sustainable non-extractive practices. Annie Spratt via Unsplash Melanie Rieback is the founder of the Post Growth Entrepreneurship (PGE) Incubator, Nonprofit Ventures, as well as her own successful post growth business, Radically Open Security (ROS). We sat down with […]
Prepare developed democracies for long-run economic slowdowns
Prepare developed democracies for long-run economic slowdowns Developed democracies proliferated over the past two centuries during an unprecedented era of economic growth, which may be ending. Macroeconomic forecasts predict slowing growth throughout the twenty-first century for structural reasons such as ageing populations, shifts from goods to services, slowing innovation, and debt. Long-run effects of COVID-19 […]
The End of Growth: ten years after
The End of Growth: ten years after Fifty years ago the authors of the groundbreaking book The Limits to Growth showed that, in any of a series of computer-generated scenarios, world economic growth would end sometime during the 21st century. Using simple math and logic, they pointed out that growth in any material input or output cannot continue […]



