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Sustainable Shrinkage: Envisioning a Smaller, Stronger Economy

In: Creating a Sustainable and Desirable Future Insights from 45 global thought leaders

Author

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  • Ernest Callenbach

Abstract

In 1987, when the United Nations' Brundtland Report, Our Common Future, appeared to worldwide fanfare, its slogan of “sustainable development” reassured environmentalists who focused on the term “sustainable,” while pleasing business interests who understood “development” to mean continued material growth. It seemed we could have it all. But many thoughtful observers then and since have pointed out that “sustainable development” is an oxymoron. On a finite planet, we cannot have both sustainability and continued material growth. More than two decades after the Brundtland Report, it is past time to abandon this linguistic sleight of hand and rally around a new, shocking but this time realistic slogan: sustainable shrinkage! Within this new perspective, we can get on with saving species, restoring wastelands, improving efficiency, putting our life-support systems on sustainable bases — in short, finding solutions…

Suggested Citation

  • Ernest Callenbach, 2014. "Sustainable Shrinkage: Envisioning a Smaller, Stronger Economy," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Robert Costanza & Ida Kubiszewski (ed.), Creating a Sustainable and Desirable Future Insights from 45 global thought leaders, chapter 30, pages 223-232, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:wschap:9789814546898_0030
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