Humankind has filled its planetary niche and must shift to
the conscious guidance of its economies. The answer to
the ecological crisis is not Green Reformism, but Rapid Contraction. For details, see the video "Redirecting our Civilization, Part 1".
Recent Videos
A Critique of Green Reformism ...... Aug 22, 2009
An evaluation of the view that improved technology and efficiency are sufficient to address overshoot.
A Critique of Ecological Economics ...... Sept 5, 2009
An assessment of this academic field, which is a prominent example of Green Reformism. (Video has 2 parts.)
Revolutionizing Economic Thought ...... Oct. 9, 2009
Proposes a radical restructuring of economic concepts to permit the rational guidance of our economies.
Reorienting Environmentalism ...... Dec. 11, 2009
Proposes a mode of environmental activism that can address humankind's most critical ecological problem: overshoot.
The Project
My aim is to instigate and conceptually support humankind's shift to a new mode of civilization - one characterized by sustainability and global well-being.
To achieve this shift we must radically alter the way we determine key economic outcomes such as production quantities and population levels. For most economies today, these results arise spontaneously from the logic of capitalism, which is based on consumer wants and corporate profits. The approach suggested here is to replace this logic with one based on human needs and natural limits, and to derive economic objectives explicitly from these new principles.
My proposal for the replacement logic is the Economics of Needs and Limits (ENL), a conceptual framework that is summarized in the overview (see below) and fully covered in the book shown at right.
Strategy
The transition to a new mode of civilization requires a workable strategy to achieve fundamental economic and ecological change. The strategy proposed here acknowledges the biological underpinnings of human nature. This implies that, although change must be rapid in order to avert ecological collapse, it must also be evolutionary. The strategic approach is thus conservative with respect to humankind, but revolutionary with respect to the economy and the environment.
ENL Overview
The overview document offers both a brief sketch of ENL for introductory purposes, and a detailed outline for those who want to understand the framework's logical structure. For a comprehensive treatment, please consult the book shown at right.
Articles
Available here are my published and unpublished articles on various economic topics.
Videos
The videos in this section include an interview with William R. Catton, Jr. as well as discussions of capitalism and growth, the redirection of our civilization, and ENL.
Resources
Four documents are included in this section: a primer on economic analysis, an annotated bibliography, the first edition of Needs and Limits, and a critique of ENL's early ideas by a British economist. The bibliography is extensive, covering about 100 pages.
2nd Edition
Free Download - 5.36MB pdf file
Order a paperback copy from LULU.com.
Price is $14.95.
Frank Rotering publicizes his video critique of ecological economics at an academic conference in Vancouver, Canada. (Oct. 20, 2009)