Consumption Archives – Page 7 of 15 – Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

Appropriate Scarcity

October 15, 2015/8 Comments/in Consumption, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Steady State Economy, The Daly News /by Brian Czech

by Robert A. Herendeen

… appealing to people to restrain themselves [by] self-enforced abstinence alone is a waste of time. By and large, we consume as much as our incomes allow…. changes… cannot take place without constraints that apply to everyone rather than everyone else. Manmade global warming cannot be restrained unless we persuade the government to force us to change the way we live.

—George Monbiot, Heat (2006/2009)

The results indicate that the likelihood of paying a positive amount for supporting renewable energy is higher under a mandatory scheme compared to a voluntary payment option in the UK.

Where is Pope Francis on Economic Growth?

September 2, 2015/7 Comments/in Consumption, Economic Growth, Environment, Religion, The Daly News /by Brian Czech

by David Kane

Those who believe that there is a fundamental conflict between economic growth and environmental protection will find Pope Francis’ recent encyclical, Laudato Si (Praised Be), a welcome addition to the literature; as well as an important tool in helping others, especially Catholics, to understand and accept the limitations of economic growth. Pope Francis explains how the environmental and social crises we are experiencing will require “profound changes in lifestyles,

Would the Steady State Economy Be a Miracle?

August 5, 2015/6 Comments/in Consumption, Economic Policy, Environment, Population, Religion, Steady State Economy, The Daly News /by Brian Czech

by Herman Daly

Many people think that advocating a steady state economy is like wishing for a miracle. I understand their reasoning and take their point—in the present era of growthism, it does seem rather like advocating a miracle. But that raises the question of exactly what is a miracle? And how many other miracles are we wishing for these days? Of course, science, by definition of its method, rules out the existence of miracles,

Five Myths About Economic Growth

July 22, 2015/16 Comments/in Brian Czech, Consumption, Economic Growth, The Daly News /by Brian Czech

by Brian Czech

Myth #1. It’s economic.

To be economic, something has to be worth more than it costs. Economic activity, per se, is more beneficial than detrimental. Technically speaking, “marginal utility is greater than marginal disutility.”

If you liked a rug, but liked your grandkids more, it wouldn’t be smart to grab the rug out from under them. That’s basic microeconomics. Yet if we look around and reflect a bit,

Thoughts on Pope Francis’ Laudato Si

June 23, 2015/15 Comments/in Climate Change, Consumption, Economic Growth, Environment, Population, Poverty, Religion, Steady State Economy, The Daly News /by Brian Czech

by Herman Daly

As a Protestant Christian, my devotion to the Catholic Church has been rather minimal, based largely on respect for early church history and for the love of an aunt who was a nun. In recent times, the Catholic Church’s opposition to birth control, plus the pedophile and cover-up scandals, further alienated me. Like many others, I first viewed Pope Francis as perhaps a breath of fresh air, but little more. After reading his encyclical on environment and justice,

Preempting a Misleading Argument: Why Environmental Problems Will Stop Tracking with GDP

May 13, 2015/1 Comment/in Brian Czech, Consumption, Economic Growth, Environment, Population, Steady State Economy, The Daly News /by Brian Czech

Brian explains how GDP growth will eventually stop tracking with environmental damage–but the reasons may not be what you’d expect!

War and Peace and the Steady State Economy

April 29, 2015/7 Comments/in Consumption, Economic Growth, Governance, Politics, Religion, Steady State Economy, The Daly News /by Brian Czech

Herman Daly discusses the natural alliances between peacemakers and steady staters, and between the growth economy and warfare.

A Population Perspective on the Steady State Economy

January 15, 2015/9 Comments/in Consumption, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Energy, Environment, Governance, Population, Steady State Economy, The Daly News /by Brian Czech

The population problem should be considered from the point of view of all populations–populations of both humans and their things–if we are going to achieve a steady state economy.

Peace, Love, and the Gift

December 26, 2014/3 Comments/in Consumption, Economic Growth, Money and Investments, The Daly News /by Brian Czech

If we are to degrow the economy towards a steady state, we’re going to need to be a whole lot more generous, a whole lot happier, and more grateful for what we have already.

Use and Abuse of the “Natural Capital” Concept

November 13, 2014/7 Comments/in Consumption, Economic Policy, Environment, Monetary Policy, Money and Investments, Sustainability, The Daly News /by Brian Czech

Herman Daly explains how we can use prices now as tools for rationing a fixed predetermined flow of resources, rather than determining the volume of resources taken from nature, or the physical scale of the economic subsystem.