Archive for category: Steady State Economy

The Short Version

The CASSE position sets the record straight on the fundamental conflict between GDP growth and environmental protection. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are just three powerful examples. And what happens to jobs when the planet can’t support the bloated economy? What happens to national security and international stability?

The CASSE position calls for the sustainable solution – a steady state economy with stabilized population and consumption – beginning in the wealthiest nations and spreading via “steady statesmanship.”

Technological Progress in a Steady State Economy

In a steady state economy, businesses, universities, and governments continue to pursue technological progress to the benefit of society, but technology is not deployed to grow the economy.  In the current economic paradigm, when limits to growth become cumbersome, technology is developed to deal with those limits.  If the technology works, we get a bit of breathing room.  In a steady state economy, that breathing room is used for leisure,

Energy Use in a Steady State Economy

In a steady state economy, conservation of energy is held in high regard.  People look for ways to accomplish their goals while minimizing energy inputs. Societies phase out fossil fuels, and instead favor energy sources that use solar income, such as photovoltaic cells, wind turbines, biofuels and hydroelectric generators. Businesses and households retrofit existing structures to be more energy-efficient, and eliminate machines that consume wasteful amounts of energy,

Environmental Quality in a Steady State Economy

The most important characteristic of a steady state economy is sustainable scale, meaning that the economy fits within the carrying capacity of the ecosystems that contain it. An economy of sustainable scale, therefore, has more room for nature. Without a continuously growing economy to crowd out more and more nature, citizens can focus on stewardship of natural resources and the services they provide — services that are critical to life on Earth.