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Take a Position: “Pointers” For Sustainability. Students for Sustainable Communities Nate Fleming Kevin Hite Joe Kottwitz etc. College of Natural Resources TWS, Stevens Point Student Chapter. But first some thank-yous…. Which city in the world has the most CASSE signatories?.
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Take a Position: “Pointers” For Sustainability
Students for Sustainable Communities Nate Fleming Kevin Hite Joe Kottwitz etc. College of Natural Resources TWS, Stevens Point Student Chapter But first some thank-yous…
Which city in the world has the most CASSE signatories? Not So Trivial Stevens Point!
Before getting to position-taking, let’s clear up some technical issues.
an increase in the production and consumption of goods and services typically expressed in terms of GDP facilitated by increasing: population per capita consumption Economic Growth
Neoclassical Economy $ Business Household
With Economic Growth $ Household Business
Natural Capital Pollutants Natural Capital Heat Ecological Economy
Natural Capital Pollutants Natural Capital Heat With Economic Growth
K Natural capital allocated to biodiversity GDP Natural capital allocated to human economy Time Czech, B. 2000. Wildlife Society Bulletin 28(1):4-14.
Causes of Species Endangerment as a “Who’s Who” of the Economy Empirical Evidence
Agricultural and extractive sectors Manufacturing sectors Service sectors Economic infrastructure Economic byproducts (pollution) Urbanization International trade Endangerment Causes Czech et al. 2000. Bioscience 50(7):593-601.
Macroeconomic Policy Implication
Steady State Economy K To conserve biodiversity ... GDP ...maintain steady state economy sufficiently below K. Time
"What about technological progress?"
Vernacular: invention, innovation Technical: increasing productive efficiency resulting from invention and innovation Technological Progress
Fixed amount of energy, matter (E = mc2) Entropy Thermodynamics
Consider the Sources R&D Czech, B. 2008. Conservation Biology 22:1389-1398.
Consider the Sources R&D Profits Czech, B. 2008. Conservation Biology 22:1389-1398.
Consider the Sources R&D Profits Economies of scale Czech, B. 2008. Conservation Biology 22:1389-1398.
“Chicken-Egg Spiral” K TP3 TP2 Environmental Threat TP1 GDP-TP
The “Information Economy” Red Herring Alert!!! • What is the information used for? • How does one come to afford the information?
Limits to Growth?
€ € = € €
Sustainability = € €
Stable production and consumption of goods and services Indicated by stable GDP Stabilized: population per capita consumption “throughput” Steady State Economy
And yet we hear, “Some people just don’t get it. There is no conflict between growing the economy and protecting the environment!” How does this prevail?
1) Classical economics 2) Combination of political and economic systems, especially at the national scale 3) Politics of economic activity 4) Politics of any activity (economic focus) Political Economy
1) Classical economics 2) Combination of political and economic systems, especially at the national scale 3) Politics of economic activity 4) Politics of any activity (economic focus) Political Economy
Prominent corporate community Campaign financing favors “big money” Neoclassical economics Economic growth a primary, perennial, bipartisan goal Political Economy of Biodiversity Conservation
Special interest group Supportive political faction “Captured” profession, society, or agency "Iron Triangle"
Iron Triangle Neoclassical Economics Politicians Macroeconomic Policy Corporations
“The corporate consensus rises above the competitive advantage of particular corporations, and is larger than any industry…Corporate power is dependent on legal, economic, and political mechanisms, structures, and processes…” Public Information Network, www.endgame.org Corporations
Selected by or beholden to large donors (i.e., corporations) Heavily invested in corporations Advised by neoclassical economists Politicians
University departments endowed by corporations Research funded by corporations Hired by corporations Appointed by politicians Neoclassical Economists
Weakness? Neoclassical Economics Politicians Economic Policy Table Corporations
Of Course Politicians Neoclassical Economics Economic Policy Table Corporations
Access to Policy Table Politicians Neoclassical Economics Ecological Economics Economic Policy Table Corporations
Academia Non-governmental organizations Public Politicians, political parties Government Advancing the Steady State Economy
Academia Non-governmental organizations Public Politicians, political parties Government Advancing the Steady State Economy
Professional, scientific societies that… study issues. develop policy positions or resolutions. Other non-profit organizations that… educate publics and policy makers. advance issues. induce political action. Non-Governmental Organizations
Professional, scientific societies that… study issues. develop policy positions or resolutions. Other non-profit organizations that… educate publics and policy makers. advance issues. induce political action. Non-Governmental Organizations
U.S. Society for Ecological Economics (2003) The Wildlife Society (2004) Society for Conservation Biology – North America Section (2004) American Society of Mammalogists (2007) British Columbia Field Ornithologists (2007) Professional Society Positions
Ecological Society of America International Society for Ecological Economics Society for Conservation Biology American Fisheries Society Society for Range Management Society for Marine Mammalogy American Sociological Association Positions Under Consideration
Why the Focus On Professional Societies?
Basic Vision Polities Publics Educational NGOs Professional Societies
Iron Triangle Neoclassical Economics Politicians Macroeconomic Policy Corporations