ENV100H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Degrowth, Microsoft Onenote, Consumerism
12/14/2018 OneNote Online
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Week10:(15/11/2018)
Thursday,November15,2018 12:48PM
RequiredReadings:
QuestioningEconomicGrowth...byPeterVictor(page370‑371)
ConsumptiontoSatisfyOurNeedsbyDavidSuzuki(page37‑49)
ReverendBilly;sCrusadeagainstthe'Shopocolypse'inFES(page30‑32)
Reading#1:QuestioningEconomicGrowth‑PETERVICTOR
THESIS:
•"ourglobaleconomymustoperatewithinplanetarylimitstopromotestability,resilienceand
wellbeing,notrisingGDP."
•"developedeconomiesmustchartacoursetowardslivingwithinafairshare,andnomore,ofthe
planet'ssafeoperatingspace"
NOTES:
•Theplanetcan'tsustaincontinuedglobaleconomicgrowth
•EconomistROBERTSOLOW(NobelPrizeinEconomics)
○SaidthatU.SandEuropemightfindthatcontinuedgrowth=toodestructivetoenvironment
+we'retoodependentonscarcenaturalresources
•INSTEAD:steady‑stateeconomicsoreconomic"degrowth"aregainingtraction
•Why?
○Movedbeyond"safeoperatingspace"forclimatechange,nitrogenloadings,and
biodiversitylossandthreatenstofor6othermajorissues
○Tracedtoincreaseinmaterials,fossilfuelsandbiomassused
•Mankind'sthroughput:(amountofmaterials,likefuelthatfeedworld'seconomies)hasincreased
by800%in20thcentury
○Correspondingincreaseinwaste
○PLUSpopulationincreasefrom1.6to6billion
OneOption=GREENGROWTH
○Developedcountriescontinuestrivingforeconomicgrowthwhilereducingimpactson
planet
○Assumeseconomicgrowthcanbedecoupledfrommaterial+energyinputs
○FavoredbyOrganizationforEconomicCo‑operationandDevelopment(OECD)
•Reboundeffect:efficiencyimprovementsoften=changesthatoutweighenvironmentalbenefits
○RecognizedbyW.SJevons(economist)in1865
▪Notedthatsteamengineimprovements=increaseintotalcoalconsumption
▪Reboundof50%notunusual
•Ex.By1910,steamenginesweremuchmoreefficientbut2,000foldrisein
steam‑poweruseincreasedcoalusedramatically
AlternativeOption:
•Shiftgrowthtosectorsthatuselessresources(ex.Servicesector)
•Couldbuytime
•Butnotifitjustoutsourcesresource‑heavyproducts+theirenviroburdens
ThirdOption=LIMITGROWTH
•Toreducegreenhouse‑gasemissions(GHG)by80%over50years,aneconomythatincreasesGDP
by3%/yearhastoreduceemissionsintensity(tonnesofGHGperunitofGDP)by6%everyyear
○Foraneconomythatdoesn'tgrow,theannualcut=3.2%(stillchallenging)
•ReasonsofSupportforrichercountries:
1. Evidencethatgrowthisunrelatedtohappiness
2. Growthaccompaniesincreasinginequality(poorpublichealth,socialunrest)
3. Noimprovementsindevelopingworldifdevelopedkeepsencroachingecologicalspace
DethroningEconomicGrowthisn’tthatimprobable
•RegularGDPestimatesonlydatebackto1940s
•Economicgrowthbecameapolicypriorityonlyinthe50s!
•HERMANDALY(ecologicaleconomist)supportssteadystateeconomicmodel
○Setofprinciplesforlimitingmaterialuse:
▪Harvestofrenewableresourcesshouldn'texceedregenerationrate
▪Rateofextractionofnon–renewableshouldn'texceedrateofcreationofrenewable
substitutes
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