Beyond the Green Economy


Book Description

The world needs a new economy. In spite of tremendous and growing material prosperity, inequality is on the rise and the current organization of the Earth’s natural resources has failed to address the basic human needs of billions of people. This book exposes the bottlenecks of the present path of economic growth and discusses the main path to alternatives. In spite of undeniable advances, all evidence points towards the growing depletion of the very ecosystems that societies depend on. By placing ethics squarely in the middle of economic life, this book demonstrates the need for a new economy, one that fosters unity between society, nature, economics and ethics. It questions the most important scientific and political pillar that forms the basis for evaluating social resource use: economic growth. Written in a non-specialist language, this book is an introduction to the main issues involving sustainable development. It will be essential reading for both students and professionals working in the field of socio-environmental responsibility.




Practising Feminist Political Ecologies


Book Description

Destined to transform its field, this volume features some of the most exciting feminist scholars and activists working within feminist political ecology, including Giovanna Di Chiro, Dianne Rocheleau, Catherine Walsh and Christa Wichterich. Offering a collective critique of the ‘green economy’, it features the latest analyses of the post-Rio+20 debates alongside a nuanced reading of the impact of the current ecological and economic crises on women as well as their communities and ecologies. This new, politically timely and engaging text puts feminist political ecology back on the map.




The Green New Deal and Beyond


Book Description

A clear and urgent call for the national, social, and individual changes required to prevent catastrophic climate change. “An iconoclast of the best kind, Stan Cox has an all-too-rare commitment to following arguments wherever they lead, however politically dangerous that turns out to be.”—Naomi Klein, author of On Fire: The (Burning) Case for the New Green Deal "Moving to zero net carbon emissions, and fast, is the point of Stan Cox’s important new study, The Green New Deal and Beyond. Cox advocates on behalf of the GND as one step of several we need to take to stabilize the planet."—Noam Chomsky, from the book's foreword The prospect of a Green New Deal is providing millions of people with a sense of hope, but scientists warn there is little time left to take the actions needed. We are at a critical point, and while the Green New Deal will be a step in the right direction, we need to do more—right now—to avoid catastrophe. In The Green New Deal and Beyond, author and plant scientist Stan Cox explains why we must abolish the use of fossil fuels as soon as possible, and how it can be done. He addresses a host of glaring issues not mentioned in the GND and guides us through visionary, achievable ideas for working toward a solution to the deepening crisis. It’s up to each of us, Cox writes, to play key roles in catalyzing the necessary transformation. "A strictly science-based plan for effectively addressing the dire realities of climate change. . . . Convincing, painful, and a long shot—but better than the alternative."—Kirkus Reviews "His is a warning well worth heeding."—Raj Patel, co-author of A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet "In The Green New Deal and Beyond, Stan Cox presents a smart, sane, and plausibly optimistic alternative to abandoning all hope."—David Owen, author of Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World "The teachings of Indigenous Peoples are still here, and it's up to the present generation to muster the courage and resources to follow those instructions. Stan Cox reminds us of this historic dialogue and development of the Green New Deal, and helps us find the path back to those instructions."—Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe), author of All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life and LaDuke Chronicles "Stan Cox suggests remedies that should ignite lively discussion and intense debate, which is sorely needed. A must-read for those who care about our shared planetary future."—Mary Evelyn Tucker, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, co-author, Journey of the Universe "An invaluable contribution to what must become an unprecedented international revolution."—Will Potter, author of Green Is the New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement Under Siege "Cox argues that this is not idealism, but necessity. By 2030 or 2040, if our aims and policies turn out to have been insufficient, as he points out, it will have been too late."—Natalie Suzelis, Uneven Earth "In this important and readable book, Stan Cox moves the Overton window away from false hope and toward a more realistic path for avoiding climate catastrophe."—Dr. Peter Kalmus, NASA climate scientist and author of Being the Change




Building a Green Economy


Book Description

"Humanity is at a crossroads in our pathway to future prosperity, and our next steps will impact our long-term sustainability immensely. In this timely volume, leading ecological economics scholars offer a variety of perspectives on building a green economy. Grounded in a critique of conventional thinking about unrestrained economic expansion and the costs of environmental degradation, this book presents a roadmap for an economy that prioritizes human welfare over consumerism and growth."--Back cover.




Handbook of Green Economics


Book Description

Handbook of Green Economics reveals the breadth and depth of advanced research on sustainability and growth, also identifying opportunities for future developments. Through its multidimensional examination, it demonstrates how overarching concepts, such as green growth, low carbon economy, circular economy and others work together. Some chapters reflect on different discourses on the green economy, including pro-growth perspectives and transformative approaches that entail de-growth. Others argue that green policies can spark economic innovation, particularly in developing and emerging market economies. Part literature summary, part analysis and part argument, this book shows how the right conditions can stimulate economic growth while achieving environmental sustainability. This book will be a valuable resource for graduate students and academic researchers whose focus is on the green economy. With an increasing interest in the topic among researchers and policymakers, users will find different theoretical perspectives and explore policy implications in this growing subject area.




Green Growth and Sustainable Development


Book Description

The book examines problems associated with green growth and sustainable development on the basis of recent contributions in economics, natural sciences and applied mathematics, especially optimal control theory. Its main topics include pollution, biodiversity, exhaustible resources and climate change. The integrating framework of the book is dynamic systems theory which offers a common basis for multidisciplinatory research and mathematical tools for solving complicated models, leading to new insights in environmental issues. ​




Inside the Green Economy


Book Description

This book puts the Green Economy to the test, its promises, consequences and blind spots. - Can efficiency be a solution if it results in even more consumption? - Is it possible to save nature by putting a price on the services it provides? - Should we rely on technological solutions to save us? As the economic and ecological bases of prosperity are increasingly endangered and the gap between rich and poor widens, the Green Economy should offer us hope. Yet the Green Economy cares little about politics, barely registers human rights, does not recognize social factors and suggests the possibility of reform without conflict. It suggests that the world as we know it can continue with green growth, based primarily on large-scale technological solutions. This book outlines a way to overcome global crises from a social viewpoint.




Beyond Growth


Book Description

"Daly is turning economics inside out by putting the earth and its diminishing natural resources at the center of the field . . . a kind of reverse Copernican revolution in economics." --Utne Reader "Considered by most to be the dean of ecological economics, Herman E. Daly elegantly topples many shibboleths in Beyond Growth. Daly challenges the conventional notion that growth is always good, and he bucks environmentalist orthodoxy, arguing that the current focus on 'sustainable development' is misguided and that the phrase itself has become meaningless." --Mother Jones "In Beyond Growth, . . . [Daly] derides the concept of 'sustainable growth' as an oxymoron. . . . Calling Mr. Daly 'an unsung hero,' Robert Goodland, the World Bank's top environmental adviser, says, 'He has been a voice crying in the wilderness.'" --G. Pascal Zachary, The Wall Street Journal "A new book by that most far-seeing and heretical of economists, Herman Daly. For 25 years now, Daly has been thinking through a new economics that accounts for the wealth of nature, the value of community and the necessity for morality." --Donella H. Meadows, Los Angeles Times "For clarity of vision and ecological wisdom Herman Daly has no peer among contemporary economists. . . . Beyond Growth is essential reading." --David W. Orr, Oberlin College "There is no more basic ethical question than the one Herman Daly is asking." --Hal Kahn, The San Jose Mercury News "Daly's critiques of economic orthodoxy . . . deliver a powerful and much-needed jolt to conventional thinking." --Karen Pennar, Business Week Named one of a hundred "visionaries who could change your life" by the Utne Reader,Herman Daly is the recipient of many awards, including a Grawemeyer Award, the Heineken Prize for environmental science, and the "Alternative Nobel Prize," the Right Livelihood Award. He is professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs, and coauthor with John Cobb, Jr., of For the Common Good.




The Limits of the Green Economy


Book Description

Projecting win-win situations, new economic opportunities, green growth and innovative partnerships, the green economy discourse has quickly gained centre stage in international environmental governance and policymaking. Its underlying message is attractive and optimistic: if the market can become the tool for tackling climate change and other major ecological crises, the fight against these crises can also be the royal road to solving the problems of the market. But how ‘green’ is the green economy? And how social or democratic can it be? This book examines how the emergence of this new discourse has fundamentally modified the terms of the environmental debate. Interpreting the rise of green economy discourse as an attempt to re-invent capitalism, it unravels the different dimensions of the green economy and its limits: from pricing carbon to emissions trading, from sustainable consumption to technological innovation. The book uses the innovative concept of post-politics to provide a critical perspective on the way green economy discourse represents nature and society (and their interaction) and forecloses the imagination of alternative socio-ecological possibilities. As a way of repoliticising the debate, the book advocates the construction of new political faultlines based on the demands for climate justice and democratic commons. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of environmental politics, political ecology, human geography, human ecology, political theory, philosophy and political economy. Includes a foreword written by Erik Swyngedouw (Professor of Geography, Manchester University).




Designing the Green Economy


Book Description

Milani, a teacher and research coordinator for the Eco-Materials Project in Toronto, first describes the economic world of the past and present, the industrial and post-industrial world with which we all have some experience. Then comes the economic outline for the world of the future, a green economy most have only glimpsed or heard tell of. Milani's goal is to integrate human technologies into natural processes and stop humanity's "predatory attitude." By doing so we will move from a quantitative model of wealth to a qualitative model where what becomes paramount is the development of people and communities, and the de-development (self-restoration) of nature. Milani wants to reform human practice with real philosophic, economic, and material solutions so that nature no longer needs human protection against human onslaught. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR