Economic Growth Archives – Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

Taxes, Economic “Development,” and Growth Fetishism — State of the States

February 12, 2026/3 Comments/in David Shreve, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Governance, Ideology, Inequality, Jobs and Employment, Limits to Growth, Poverty, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Wealth, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

by David Shreve

Many are beginning to sense that there is a diminishing relationship between increasing gross domestic product (GDP) and broad prosperity or “quality of life.” Environmental perils are a big part of this—from dying oceans and freshwater shortages to extreme weather events and epidemics. People readily feel these changes, even without knowing their true extent. Technological advances notwithstanding, there is little doubt that ongoing “growth” only perpetuates and amplifies such perils.

On Public Lands, a Feeding Frenzy for Growth

February 5, 2026/4 Comments/in Conservation, Corruption, Economic Growth, Endangered Species, Energy, Fossil Fuels, GDP, Limits to Growth, Politics, Steady State Herald, Water /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

American public lands management has always embodied a tense balancing act between conservation and exploitation. Too often the balance has tipped in an unsustainable direction. But the Trump Administration appears determined to break the scale, with unprecedented efforts to sell out public lands to extractive industries.

Four agencies manage most federal lands. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the National Park Service (NPS) within the Department of the Interior,

The New Food Pyramid: Packing the Plate for GDP

January 15, 2026/19 Comments/in Brian Czech, Consumption, Corruption, Economic Growth, Food and Agriculture, GDP, Governance, Politics, Steady State Herald, Trophic Theory of Money /by Alix Underwood

by Brian Czech

Say what you will—pro or con—about the nutritional merits of the Trump Administration’s new food pyramid, but the thing is a masterclass in political artistry. It systematically serves vested interests, a political party, and an ever-competing president. And, I’ll argue, it’s subtly designed for a surge in GDP.

On its face, it certainly is an artistic endeavor, designed to grab you from several angles. The first thing to catch your eye is its surprising disposition.

Labour’s Military Spending Undermines Climate Goals

December 4, 2025/6 Comments/in Climate Change, Corruption, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Governance, Materials use, Money and Investments, Peace, Politics, Pollution, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Darryl Rigby

As Edwin Starr once sang: “War, what is it good for?” If we’re to believe the United Kingdom’s Labour Party government, it’s good for boosting GDP and protecting your population from the existential threat of Russia.

But one thing increased militarisation most certainly isn’t good for is the environment. Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently announced his plan to steadily increase the defence budget over the next decade.

Radical Post-Growth Gratitude

November 26, 2025/7 Comments/in Alix Underwood, Consumption, Economic Growth, Ideology, Inequality, Limits to Growth, Postgrowth, Steady State Herald, Wealth, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

by Alix Underwood

In our paradoxical society of excess and dissatisfaction, dedicating a day to gratitude is a powerful gesture.

There is abundant evidence of the importance of gratitude for well-being. A dearth of gratitude is a critical component of Western society’s epidemic of dissatisfaction and mental illness.

It’s no coincidence that this epidemic has been accompanied by economic growth beyond planetary boundaries.

Carbon Footprint Tramples Planetary Boundaries

November 6, 2025/2 Comments/in Amelia Jaycen, Climate Change, Consumption, Economic Growth, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Limits to Growth, Pollution, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Amelia Jaycen

The carbon footprint of an individual, organization, or country is the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that must be produced to accommodate their choices: the types of transportation, heating and cooling, and diet they adopt and the manufacture and disposal of products they use. As a component of the total impact on the environment, called ecological footprint, a carbon footprint can be expressed as the amount of land or biocapacity required to absorb CO2 emissions.

Hitting Freshwater Rock Bottom

October 23, 2025/10 Comments/in Alix Underwood, Climate Change, Consumption, Economic Growth, Food and Agriculture, GDP, Limits to Growth, Steady State Herald, Sustainability, Water /by Alix Underwood

by Alix Underwood and Marwa Ebrahem

Freshwater is arguably the single most essential resource for human life. Yet, its use seems more abstract than that of solid materials. Freshwater sources exist everywhere that humans do, but they are often hidden from view, buried underground or frozen in glaciers. It’s hard to fathom the scope and the impact of the 3.95 trillion cubic meters of freshwater the human economy extracted in 2021.

Liberty County, Florida: Globally Important Local Conservation

October 9, 2025/1 Comment/in Biodiversity, Conservation, Dave Rollo, Economic Growth, Endangered Species, Governance, KEEP Our Counties Great, Limits to Growth, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Dave Rollo

In the “Anthropocene,” human economic activities dominate the Earth, at the immense expense of other species. Scientists are calling this the “sixth mass extinction,” as entire genera disappear 35 times faster than they have over the last million years. This biodiversity loss is happening worldwide, but it plays out at the local level. Likewise, combating the crisis requires local action.

In the United States,

Growth of an Economy, Death of a River

October 2, 2025/2 Comments/in Amelia Jaycen, Climate Change, Consumption, Economic Growth, Environment, Governance, Limits to Growth, Steady State Herald, Sustainability, Water /by Alix Underwood

by Amelia Jaycen

The Colorado River has a simple math problem: More water is taken out than nature refills every year. The gap between the two is also widening. Every year, an increasing amount of water is taken out of the Colorado River, as demand for water increases across the arid American West. Meanwhile, every year less water is available in the river and its tributaries as climate change and other manmade stressors cause imbalances in natural systems.

Has the Hunger-GDP Relationship Crossed a Threshold?

September 25, 2025/8 Comments/in Alix Underwood, Climate Change, Degrowth, Economic Growth, Food and Agriculture, GDP, Inequality, Limits to Growth, Poverty, Steady State Herald, Trophic Theory of Money, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

by Alix Underwood

The world looked poised to end hunger in the mid-2010s, after decades of decline in the percentage of the population that is undernourished. People often attribute progress in the late 20th century to the technological advances of the “Green Revolution.” However, the revolution’s costs and benefits, and their distribution, are hotly contested. Many experts instead point simply to economic growth as the primary factor responsible for poverty reduction and,