I’d like to share some valuable lessons about the politics of economic growth that I learned at the National Council for Science and the Environment conference this week in Washington, DC.  First, the relationship between economic growth and biodiversity conservation (and environmental protection in general) is looking like the “next big issue,” as some folks called it.  There is a good chance it will be a featured topic at the next NCSE conference, and certainly many sub-ev... Read Full Story

It’s unfortunate that the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE) got involved so late in the process.  That’s what happens when there is one organization in the United States focused on advancing the steady state economy.  We’re spread pretty thin! We would advise President-Elect Obama to become the first president to tell it like it is about the relationship between economic growth and environmental protection.  Taking office in the midst of climate change, Peak Oil, ... Read Full Story

A global mutual fund management firm, Portfolio 21, has taken a courageous and visionary stance.  The company has backed the idea of a non-growing economy by endorsing the position on economic growth championed by the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE).  Although leading sustainability scholars have acknowledged that the economy can’t grow forever, it is a breakthrough for a successful investment firm to reach that conclusion. The financial meltdown and its effects... Read Full Story

Economic growth is simply an increase in the consumption and production of goods and services, and thus, is an increase in the flow of natural resources through the economy and back to the environment as waste.  It is driven by increasing population and increasing per capita consumption, and typically indicated by increasing gross domestic product (GDP).  Theory and evidence suggest that continued growth is actually uneconomic or costly to society.  If the growth paradigm is unsustainable and... Read Full Story

Obamanomics and Environmental Protection It looks like Barack Obama has the knowledge to put an end to the erosion of common sense that plagued the landscape of our political economy – not to mention our landscape per se! - for the past couple of decades.  The bipartisan rhetoric from the highest positions that “there is no conflict between growing the economy and protecting the environment” led citizens to believe it, corporations to hide behind it, and shenanigans all over academia and the ... Read Full Story

I am amazed at the dedication and efforts of wildlife refuge managers, and I think the majority of Americans agree with this sentiment.  What is less impressive in my mind, though, is the productivity of our conservation lands and the lack of awareness about this topic. I spent several years working in the National Wildlife Refuge System.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages National Wildlife Refuges to provide habitat for migratory birds, endangered species, fish, and other wildlife. ... Read Full Story

Relocalization is a key way to move an economy toward sustainability.  According to the Relocalization Network, relocalization is a strategy to build societies based on the local production of food, energy and goods, and the local development of currency, governance and culture.  The main goals of relocalization are to increase community energy security, to strengthen local economies, and to improve environmental conditions and social equity. In essence, relocalization means going about socia... Read Full Story

One of the questions I ponder when thinking about a steady state economy revolves around the idea of economic recession.  In the past, recessions and depressions (prolonged recessions) have meant hard times for a lot of folks.  When statisticians measure the size of an economy over time, they can see one of three possibilities:  (1) growth, (2) contraction, or (3) stability.  Typical neoclassical economists have long keyed on the first possibility.  Their main goal along with governments and ... Read Full Story

I studied economics as an undergraduate.  I even followed the “honors” curriculum and wrote a thesis.  I have to admit that I was mainly interested in environmental science (my other major), and majored in economics to be more employable upon graduation.  Nonetheless, I got a solid schooling in the prevailing theories of economics from a highly regarded department at a highly regarded university. At the time I was taking all those courses, from Econ 101 to advanced econometrics, I felt like s... Read Full Story

In the movie “Say Anything” (apologies to those who haven’t seen this film, one of the funniest from the lost decade of the 1980s), there is a telling exchange between Lloyd Dobler and his closest friends, D.C. and Corey.  Lloyd is talking to his friends about trying to win back his former girlfriend and how he’s called her for the last time.  It goes like this: D.C.:  Lloyd, why do you have to be like this? Lloyd:  ‘Cause I’m a guy. I have pride. Corey:  You’re not a guy. L... Read Full Story