These are the CASSE blog articles on population.
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,
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,
Brian explains how GDP growth will eventually stop tracking with environmental damage–but the reasons may not be what you’d expect!
Dr. Blackwelder discusses how those in faith-based communities can become powerful allies for those of us seeking an economy that meets peoples’ needs without undermining the life support systems of the planet.
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.
Is there an evolutionary mechanism stopping us from living within our planetary constraints? If so, can we overcome it before it is too late?
Brian Czech discusses a theological basis for a steady state economy.
To avoid a fate like the Mayans in Central America and the Polynesians on Easter Island, we will need to move toward a steady state economy–with the help of social scientists and natural scientists.
Daly challenges the assertion that a steady-state economy is inherently capitalistic and must be instead be based on a socialist system.
Asian nations are running a dangerous experiment on the long-term consequences of short-term economic growth.
