Steady State Herald (CASSE Blog) – Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

No Place for Science, With Trump’s Mad Growth Obsession

July 9, 2026/6 Comments/in Autocracy, Climate Change, Corruption, Democracy, Economic Growth, Governance, Kirsten Stade, Money and Investments, Politics, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

Among his many gifts to big business, President Trump has made it his mission to squash science wherever he can.

This is hardly surprising, as scientific realities often interfere with business bottom lines. For corporate interests and allies like those who populate the Trump Administration, climate change and biodiversity collapse are best denied. Along with other manifestations of the conflict between economic growth and environmental protection, their messengers are best silenced.

Growth Mania and the AI Extinction Threat

July 2, 2026/9 Comments/in Corporate Reform, Dave Rollo, Economic Growth, Governance, Jobs and Employment, Money and Investments, Steady State Herald, Technology /by Alix Underwood

by Dave Rollo

Expansion of the human footprint over the past century has been, by all measures, explosive. Humans are the undisputed masters of Planet Earth, shaping it to our needs and desires. One result of our “success” is the pushing of many species to the margins. The vast majority of mammalian and avian biomass now consists of our food animals, our pets, and ourselves.

We’ve dominated the planet largely because of our intelligence.

A Wave of Inflation from the Trophic Base

June 25, 2026/2 Comments/in Alix Underwood, Food and Agriculture, Fossil Fuels, Inflation, Jobs and Employment, Limits to Growth, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Sustainability, Trophic Theory of Money /by Alix Underwood

by Alix Underwood

The United States and Iran are engaged in peace talks, and the Strait of Hormuz is at the top of the agenda. Meanwhile, the United Nations maritime agency is promoting an alternative route through the Strait. Several tankers have already used the new route, despite threats from Iran, which relies on the Strait as its main source of leverage. Traffic is still far below pre-war levels, and stability in the Strait depends on Israel ceasing its attacks in Lebanon.

Surprising Assumptions When Estimating the Ecological Footprint

June 18, 2026/5 Comments/in Consumption, Food and Agriculture, Limits to Growth, Materials use, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Sustainability /by Alix Underwood

by Peri Dworatzek

Ecological footprint and biocapacity are derived using an accounting framework that quantifies economic activity in relation to the environment. Researchers have described this accounting framework as the supply (biocapacity) and demand (ecological footprint) of the biosphere’s regenerative capacity.

Many people and organizations around the world use these metrics to communicate and measure impacts on the environment. Some governments include ecological footprint and biocapacity data in their climate and biodiversity strategies.

Special Report: Introducing the Sustainable Monetary Policy Act

June 11, 2026/3 Comments/in Banking, Brian Czech, Economic Growth, GDP, Governance, Inflation, Jobs and Employment, Limits to Growth, Monetary Policy, Money and Investments, Steady State Economy, Steady State Economy Act, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Brian Czech

The Federal Reserve System has more influence over the rate of economic growth—certainly nationally and arguably globally—than any other institution. When it sets the federal funds rate, the Fed affects the decisions of producers and consumers far and wide. When it lowers the rate, producers borrow more, from Midwest farmers to Silicon Valley techs. Likewise, consumers borrow more for everything from cars and houses to laptops and smartphones.

Chemical Safety Sacrificed on the Road to GDP

June 4, 2026/0 Comments/in Corruption, Economic Growth, Food and Agriculture, GDP, Kirsten Stade, Limits to Growth, Politics, Pollution, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

Trump’s second-term regulatory rollbacks have already undone decades of progress in protecting public health and the environment. Not surprisingly, the safety of agricultural chemicals is among the casualties of this deregulatory fervor.

The president’s single-minded pursuit of GDP growth has meant ordering the production of more herbicides. It has meant intervening to protect their manufacturers from lawsuits, when those downwind get cancer or lose their crops. It has meant stacking his administration with former chemical industry lobbyists.

The Data Center Showdown in Lackawanna County

May 28, 2026/4 Comments/in Dave Rollo, Energy, Governance, Jobs and Employment, KEEP Our Counties Great, Money and Investments, Politics, Pollution, Steady State Herald, Technology, Water /by Alix Underwood

by Dave Rollo

As the artificial intelligence (AI) boom explodes with a race for ever more powerful models, so does the need for its infrastructure. This takes the form of huge, windowless buildings housing thousands of data servers. Projects may involve numerous buildings—sometimes a dozen or more—with added infrastructure such as hundreds of backup generators. These amalgamations are termed data centers or, in some cases as an indication of their enormity,

Overlooked Steady Staters

May 21, 2026/4 Comments/in Conservation, David Shreve, Economic Policy, Governance, Inequality, Limits to Growth, Politics, Population, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by David Shreve

Herman Daly provided the key scaffolding for modern steady-state economic theory. But he built on the ideas of many before him, including Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, Daly’s key advisor at Vanderbilt University. The term “steady state” is often used to describe an economy where capital stock is steady but growth may persist. But Daly was clear that his steady state was a homeostasis beyond growth,

Spring: Ever More Silent

May 14, 2026/4 Comments/in Alix Underwood, Consumption, Corruption, Economic Growth, Food and Agriculture, GDP, Pollution, Population, Steady State Herald, Water /by Alix Underwood

by Alix Underwood and Marwa Ebrahem

Humans have come to rely on chemicals not only to increase the fruits of our agricultural labor but also to stop other species from partaking in the feast. And the toll exacted by these “pest”-killing chemicals is immense.

Over 60 years ago, in Silent Spring, Rachel Carson detailed the effects of DDT, the first widely used chemical pesticide, on ecosystems and human health.

Eliminating Public Comments: Another Bow to GDP

May 7, 2026/4 Comments/in Autocracy, Corruption, Democracy, Economic Growth, Governance, Kirsten Stade, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

The public’s ability to weigh in on vital matters impacting human health, safety, and our ecological footprint is under grave threat. As part of its aggressive campaign of deregulation, the Trump Administration has been eliminating the opportunity for public comment on rules made by federal agencies.

In the early months of 2025, the Trump Administration issued a series of Executive Orders that declared economic growth a priority.