Prosperity Without Growth

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Summary by Frank O’Kelly Prosperity without Growth – Economics for a Finite Planet - Prof Tim Jackson The question at the heart of this book is one of social justice. We need to challenge the assumption that the continued consumption growth without greater attention to equity and sustainability can really deliver prosperity for all. What does prosperity mean in a world of 9 billion people, within decades, living under the threat of climate change and resource scarcity? Our global ecological footprint is now 30% higher than the earth’s biological capacity to produce for our needs. Mankind seems to have disconnected itself from the natural world, economically, spiritually and mentally. Human society needs to change - its economics, its accounts, its implicit biases against natural capital (versus man made capital), against public wealth (versus private wealth) and against logic and less consumption (versus manic and more). Above all human society needs to change its relationship with nature to one of harmony and co-existence. What is growing? GDP = the annual marketed flow of final goods and services. More simply it is the measure of “economic activity” in a nation or region. Continued growth in GDP is not sustainable because; Prosperity without Growth Throughput = the metabolic flow of useful matter and energy from environmental, through the economic system and back to environmental sinks as waste. This is outgrowing the ecosystems that sustain it so past its peak Chapter 1 – Prosperity Lost A basic human concern is that we want things to go well. This includes a notion of continuity and the fact that my “prosperity” is intertwined with those around me. In a global sense this means we all prosper if the poorest do. This reassures us that we have meaningful lives and a better society for our children. Prosperity is therefore a shared vision. But we are failing in

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