Democracy Archives – Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

Hard-Hit Democratic Party Must Broaden Its Niche, in the Right Direction

November 7, 2024/10 Comments/in Autocracy, Brian Czech, Conservation, Democracy, Economic Growth, Ideology, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Brian Czech

We are in a brave new world, with an authoritarian as American president, a Senate ruled by his party, and a Supreme Court sidled up to them. This is a crushing defeat for the Democratic Party, immigrants, environmentalists, and women knocking on the glass ceiling. And it is truly bad for anyone concerned about their kids and grandkids, whether they know it or not.

The problem is not so much that our political leadership is Republican,

Is the Election a Civilizational Turning Point? Why Musk is Really Backing Trump

October 24, 2024/10 Comments/in Autocracy, Democracy, Ideology, Michael Harvey, Politics, Populism, Steady State Herald, Technology /by Helene Langlamet

by Michael DB Harvey

Has Elon Musk finally lost his mind? Seeing him cavorting on stage with Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, pouring tens of millions of dollars into the convicted felon’s presidential campaign and declaring that the upcoming election could be the last one ever, one might think so. But Musk’s political drift rightwards has long had an air of inevitability about it. And there is much more behind his new support for MAGA politics than meets the eye.

Hitting the Pause Button in Colorado Springs

October 4, 2024/5 Comments/in Climate Change, Dave Rollo, Democracy, Governance, Limits to Growth, Population, Steady State Herald /by Helene Langlamet

By Dave Rollo

El Paso County is in the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains in a region known as the “Front Range,” the mountains first encountered by settlers traveling westward from the Great Plains. The Front Range includes such wonders as Mount Blue Sky and Pikes Peak. But it also refers to a chain of cities and the urban spatial expansion between them that has propagated within and along the foothills.

Maybe We Should Be the Ones Grokking: Thoughts on Elon Musk’s xAI Super-Polluting Supercomputer

September 26, 2024/7 Comments/in Corporate Reform, Democracy, Helene Langlamet, Ideology, Materials use, Pollution, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Technology /by Helene Langlamet

by Helene Langlamet

Is it just our filter bubbles? Or is an understanding of the environmental impact of artificial intelligence (AI) slowly making its way into the mainstream? Recently, a spate of news stories have highlighted the hefty environmental footprint of AI. Take for instance this recent article by the Washington Post on the hidden water footprint of using AI chatbots. Or this article by The Guardian on how the greenhouse gas emissions of data centers may be almost eight times higher than large technology companies like Google or Microsoft will acknowledge.

A Steady Stater’s Response to the Harris-Trump Debate

September 12, 2024/15 Comments/in Brian Czech, Climate Change, Democracy, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Governance, Limits to Growth, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Brian Czech

“Harris wiped the floor with Trump.” At least that’s how today’s Washington Post kicked off a discussion among in-house columnists. But for voters who prioritize Planet Earth for present and future generations, the 2024 presidential election is a classic example of seeking the lesser of two evils. Neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump is a student—much less a champion—of sustainability. They probably think “limits to growth” pertains to poll results or crowd size.

Democracy Trumped at the Limits to Growth

July 3, 2024/11 Comments/in Autocracy, Brian Czech, Complexity, Democracy, GDP, Governance, Limits to Growth, Politics, Populism, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Gary Gardner

by Brian Czech

Perhaps you’ve heard: Autocracy is on the march. Not just in the obvious places like Russia, China, and North Korea. Democracy has been declining throughout the world for decades, sometimes gradually, sometimes suddenly, but invariably replaced by autocratic tendencies, politicians, and states.

What’s going on in places as far-flung as Hungary, Myanmar, and Nicaragua? Why, after the lessons of world wars, the Cold War,