Corrected copy:
In the early nineteen-eighties, somebody "presented" a "paper" to some
ecologists which pleaded the case for the idea that it is no accident that
economics and ecology share a common root, and that there were substantial
parallels ("booms" and "busts" to cite just one example) between the two
disciplines. The presenter had studied both, but had specific credentials in
neither, nor enjoyed any significant reputation. It was met with deafening
silence. It argued that economics could be informed, if not improved, by the
study of ecosystems. I yet know of no "program" in economics which includes
a course in ecology.
May I suggest that it is not "growth," exactly, that is killing the earth,
but waste and excess, and the fear-bred psychosis that drives them. One
might
say that this is hair-splitting semantics, but I claim that the distinction
is crucial.
WT
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jane Shevtsov" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 5:30 PM
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Feature: Exploring A Sustainable Model of Growth
You can access the special report ("How Our Economy is Killing the Earth")
at <
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026786.000-special-report-how-our-economy-is-killing-the-earth.html>
. The introductory paragraphs:
"THE graphs climbing across these pages (see graph,
right<http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/mg20026786.000/mg20026786.000-1_1701.jpg>,
or explore in more
detail<http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/dn14950-special-report-the-facts-about-overconsumption.html>)
are a stark reminder of the crisis facing our planet. Consumption of
resources is rising rapidly, biodiversity is plummeting and just about
every
measure shows humans affecting Earth on a vast scale. Most of us accept
the
need for a more sustainable way to live, by reducing carbon emissions,
developing renewable technology and increasing energy efficiency.
"But are these efforts to save the planet doomed? A growing band of
experts
are looking at figures like these and arguing that personal carbon virtue
and collective environmentalism are futile as long as our economic system
is
built on the assumption of growth. The science tells us that if we are
serious about saving Earth, we must reshape our economy.
"This, of course, is economic heresy. Growth to most economists is as
essential as the air we breathe: it is, they claim, the only force capable
of lifting the poor out of poverty, feeding the world's growing
population,
meeting the costs of rising public spending and stimulating technological
development - not to mention funding increasingly expensive lifestyles.
They
see no limits to that growth, ever."
Jane
On Sat, Oct 18, 2008 at 4:11 AM, Ashwani Vasishth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the envecolnews
group.
File : /Getting_to_Green_Growth.doc
Uploaded by : ashwanivasishth
<<mailto:ashwani.vasishth%40gmail.com<ashwani.vasishth%2540gmail.com>
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Description : New Scientist Special Report On Alternatives to
Conventional
Economic Growth
You can access this file at the URL:
<
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/envecolnews/files/Getting_to_Green_Growth.doc
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/envecolnews/files/Getting_to_Green_Growth.doc
Regards,
ashwanivasishth
<<mailto:ashwani.vasishth%40gmail.com<ashwani.vasishth%2540gmail.com>
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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--
-------------
Jane Shevtsov
Ecology Ph.D. student, University of Georgia
co-founder, <a href="http://www.worldbeyondborders.org";>World Beyond
Borders</a>
Check out my blog, <a
href="http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com";>Perceiving
Wholes</a>
"Political power comes out of the look in people's eyes." --Kim Stanley
Robinson, _Blue Mars_
--
-------------
Jane Shevtsov
Ecology Ph.D. student, University of Georgia
co-founder, <a href="http://www.worldbeyondborders.org";>World Beyond
Borders</a>
Check out my blog, <a
href="http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com";>Perceiving
Wholes</a>
"Political power comes out of the look in people's eyes." --Kim Stanley
Robinson, _Blue Mars_
