A future beyond growth : towards a steady state economy / / edited by Haydn Washington and Paul Twomey

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910969711803321
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: London ; ; New York : , : Routledge, , 2016
• ISBN: 1-315-66751-7; 1-317-35834-1; 1-317-35833-3
• Edizione: [1st ed.]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (281 p.)
• Altri autori (Persone): TwomeyPaul; WashingtonHaydn <1955->
• Disciplina: 338.9; 338.927
• Soggetti: Stagnation (Economics); Economic development - Environmental aspects; Sustainable development
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references at the end of the chapters and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; List of illustrations; List of contributors; Acknowlegements; Foreword: Setting things straight for the steady state; Introduction: Why the growth economy is broken; SECTION 1 Population: the heresy of numbers; 1 A population perspective on the steady state economy; 2 Population: better not bigger; 3 Nine population strategies to stop short of 9 billion; 4 Choosing a planet of life; SECTION 2 Throughput and consumerism: a key elephant in the room; 5 Re-engineering cultures to create a sustainable civilization; 6 Sustainable business: what should it be? Circular economy and the 'business of subversion'7 Peak mining: stepping down from high resource use; SECTION 3 Key aspects of a steady state economy; 8 What is the steady state economy?; 9 The physical pathway to a steady state economy; 10 Relating the steady state economy to the green, circular and blue economies; 11 Sustainable, equitable, secure: getting there?; 12 The Genuine Progress Indicator: an indicator to guide the transition ; to a steady state economy; 13 Capitalism and the steady state: uneasy bedfellows; SECTION 4 Ethics and a message from the future14 Sustainable development vs. sustainable biosphere; 15 A message from the future about the steady state economy; SECTION 5 Policy for change; 16 Degrowth as a transition strategy; 17 Strategies for transition to a future beyond growth; Conclusion: The endless growth myth: simplicity and complexity; Index
• Sommario/riassunto: There is a fundamental denial at the centre of why we have an environmental crisis - a denial that ignores that endless physical growth on a finite planet is impossible. Nature provides the ecosystem services that support our civilisation, thus making humanity unavoidably dependent upon it. However, society continues to ignore and deny this dependence. A Future Beyond Growth explores the reason why the endless growth economy is fundamentally un sustainable and considers ways in which society can move beyond this to a steady state economy. The book brings together some of the deepest thinkers from around the world to consider how to advance beyond growth . The main themes consider the deep problems of the current system and key aspects of a steady state economy, such as population; throughput and consumerism; ethics and equity; and policy for change. The policy section and conclusion bring together these various themes and indicates how we can move past the growth economy to a truly sustainable future. This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of economics, sustainability and environmental studies in general.