Webinar: Joy of a Steady State Economy
Did you know our relentless pursuit of robust economic growth is liquidating the planet of vital resources much faster than it can regenerate them? We are “burning down the house to keep warm.” There is another way.
If this idea intrigues you, please join us for an enlightening conversation February 15, 2017 with Brian Czech, author of Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train and Supply Shock: Economic Growth at the Crossroads. Brian is president of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy, and he’ll explain the need for, and benefits of, a steady state economy.
Brian is a conservation biologist who taught ecological economics for over a decade at Virginia Tech. He is frequently invited to speak to groups and writes for Huffington Post and the Daly News. I love his sense of humor and way with words. Registration for this webinar entitles you to participate both in the February 15 session and a more advanced followup webinar on February 22. Both webinars begin at 9 pm U.S. Eastern Time and last one hour and 15 minutes. Registrants will receive a link to view a replay of the webinar.
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Tags: economic growth, economy, overshoot, sustainability
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Reinhard Huss
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First and second Webinar on Steady State Economy
Hallo,
Unfortunately the second webinar will be in the middle of the night in Leeds (Europe). Therefore I will not be able to attend. However I am interested to listen to the recordings of the session.
I also would like to express my scepticism about the way Brian Czech promotes the steady state economy. Brian explains the dangerous effect of exponential population growth for a sustainable society, but he denies the problem or avoids the question of exponential profit growth and its dangers for a sustainable society. Capitalism, I actually call it destructivism for what it is, can be defined as the division of people into two groups. One group has to live from the income of their labour, while the owners of big amounts of capital live from the profit on their capital and also control society to a certain extent. Money conveys power and large amounts of money convey large amounts of power in society.
Most owners of capital expect a percentage return on their investment (Totat Return on Investment, TRI) which also creates an exponential growth curve (similar to population growth). You do not need to be a mathematician or economist to understand why politicians and large corporations promote economic growth all the time. It is not because of lack of understanding. On the contrary they understand very well that our socio-economic system would become unstable, if there is no permanent economic growth. It even needs to be above the TRI so that it benefits people who have to rely on their labour for income. I think it was Kenneth Galbraith who said “We need economic growth, because we do not want to talk about economic justice”!
Therefore I am deeply sceptical about Brian who does not want to explain why our society requires economic growth all the time and what are the potential societal mechanisms to overcome the problem. For example a society where private profit is made illegal similar to slave labour, because private profit is another destructive and dehumanizing force. Brian may avoid the topic for tactical reasons, but he should not think that most capital owners and politicians are stupid!
Best wishes
Reinhard Huss
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