Economics claims to be a science - yet it fails to engage with the world's only real economic actors - people, not theorems. It's time to rethink economics, write David Boyle and Andrew Simms, and ask the revolutionary question: 'What if ... ?'
… What if ... economics became a science? David Boyle Andrew Simms | 3rd February 2014 Comment Economics Green Economy yam-market-africa.png Economics claims to be a science - yet it …
Well-being is not just a luxury for good economic times, writes Christine Berry. Reducing poverty and promoting equality are more important economic goals than the pursuit of endless growth.
… Christine Berry | 30th April 2014 Comment Economics Society Green Economy Consumerism … down with it. Essentially, neoclassical economics assumes that individual welfare … damaging to well-being. For example, the New Economics Foundation's analysis of European …
Political support for fracking is not just about energy, writes Paul Mobbs. It reflects the greater ecological and resource crisis at the root of our current economic woes - and only postpones the essential shift to a new kind of economy.
… Paul Mobbs | 5th March 2014 News Fossil Fuels Economics Green Economy Fracking UK Club Of … message regarding the relationship between economics, energy and the environment. That's … carbon issue . In addition to the ecological economics debate , we're now at peak oil too - …
Green growth is a myth, writes André Reichel, because it ignores the social, political and personal dimensions of sustainability. Instead we must plan for economic 'de-growth' - and go for growth only in the areas that really matter, like culture, learning and joy.
… | 14th April 2014 Comment Green Economy Economics Society green-growth-nyc.png Green … in Germany. He holds a doctoral degree in economics and social sciences from the …
Orthodox economics and finance have promoted a false account of money, writes Ann Pettifor. Change is necessary and possible. But it will come only through a revolution in the general public's understanding.
… Finance Green Economy money-trp.png Orthodox economics and finance have promoted a false … Some think that this neglect by the economics profession is not accidental. It has … in understanding or taming finance from the economics profession, from regulators or …
A new financial crisis is threatening to dwarf the 'subprime' mortgage debacle, writes Paul Mobbs. Cheap money from central banks has fuelled some $1.3 trillion of risky investments in high-cost 'unconventional' oil and gas. Now, with oil sinking below $60, all that paper is turning to junk - and that's putting the entire economic system at risk.
… 2014 News Finance Oil Gas Fossil Fuels Economics fracking-burns-cut.jpg A new … prices, investors are beginning to review the economics of unconventional oil and gas. For … been a number of damning reports about the economics of unconventional fossil fuels. Now …
Recent falls in oil prices give 'greens' cause to rethink arguments about 'peak oil' and get back to why they are really opposed to fossil fuels, writes Dr Steve Melia. Ultimately, it's not the economic evidence that drives government decisions - it's the politics!
… Peak oil is one of several ways conventional economics have been used to promote … who say they believe in the conventional economics behind cost-benefit analysis pour … misunderstands the role of evidence and economics in political decision-making. …
Most of Europe is in a state of low economic growth, and it's likely to go on for a long time yet. So let's get good at it, writes Rupert Read, and build 'post-growth' economic systems that work for people and the environment - not just plutocrats.
… the 99% Rupert Read | 16th May 2014 Comment Economics Green Economy Commons … cannot guarantee growth, as even mainstream economics is coming to accept there will never … As Richard Layard 's work and the New Economics Foundation have been so instructive …
Britain's deep-seated environmental and economic problems have nothing to do with immigration, writes Adam Ramsay, and everything to do with our unjust and divisive social order, and the austerity that is being inflicted on us by an oppressive ruling class.
… | 21st June 2014 Comment UK Society Politics Economics southall-cut.jpg Britain's … Thatcher said, famously "the method is economics, but the object is to change the …
The IPCC's 'synthesis report' makes a good scientific case on climate change and the need for action, writes Roger Jones. But its economics are weak, especially when it comes to the costs of inaction. And nowhere does it set out the core truth - that the alternative to swift, effective action is to create a hellish, dystopian world for our descendants to endure.
… | 3rd November 2014 Comment Climate Change Economics road-to-hell-cut.jpg The … need for action, writes Roger Jones. But its economics are weak, especially when it comes …
A study of 245 large dams carried out at Oxford University shows that big hydropower is uneconomic. Actual costs are typically double pre-construction estimates - and have not improved over 70 years. ASEAN energy ministers take note!
… April 2014 News Water Energy Malaysia Asia Economics Renewables bakun-dam.jpg A study of …
The global construction industry is dominated by steel and concrete, writes Dirk Hebel - but it doesn't have to be that way. There's a strong, fast-growing, climate-friendly, sustainable material ready and waiting. Bamboo could be the basis of a whole new 'green' building industry, that also provides abundant rural livelihoods.
Steel and concrete, give over to the new kid - bamboo Dirk Hebel | 4th September 2014 Comment Forests Building Climate Change Development bamboo-forest-kyoto-cut.jpg The global construction industry …
You can actually be better off, healthier and happier with less consumption, says Munasinghe. And it's not just rich countries that need to change, he told Noah Sachs - poor countries too must develop sustainably, or the Earth's resources will simply run out.
… Consumerism Development Climate Change Economics mohan-munasinghe-2.jpg You can … author of nearly 100 books and 350 papers on economics, ecology, and sustainable … sovereignty, one of the foundations of economics. What's your message for the way …
HS2, the UK's £50bn+ high-speed rail project to speed travel between London and Birmingham - and eventually Manchester and beyond is colossal waste of money, writes Rupert Read. The resources should be used to fund sustainable local and regional transport schemes.
… Read | 12th May 2014 Comment Transport UK Economics Politics hs2-no10-cut.jpg HS2, the … of this money on the present plans. Fiddled economics There are serious flaws in the …
The massive concentration of economic resources in the hands of a few people presents a significant threat to democracy and wellbeing. Mark Goldring, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB, calls for a more progressive agenda for the redistribution of wealth.
… capitalism (see review page 58). That an economics tome of graphs and data can top …
The new Manchester Airport Enterprise Zone is causing the piecemeal environmental destruction of Green Belt countryside, reports Rose Bridger - all sacrificed to an archaic vision of fossil-powered economic growth.
Manchester Airport - the concrete shadow spreads Rose Bridger | 22nd February 2014 News Aviation Climate Change UK Politics maez-car-park.png The new Manchester Airport Enterprise Zone is causing the …
Data collected by the WMO shows there were almost five times as many weather- related disasters in the first decade of this century than in the 1970s, writes Chris Rose. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was the most expensive ever, costing $147 billion.
Weather-related disasters rise five-fold from 1970s to 2000s Chris Rose DeSmogBlog | 19th August 2014 News Climate Change hurricane-katrina-nasa-cut.jpg Data collected by the WMO shows there were …
The image of the rancher in the rugged West is one of self-sufficiency and a tough defiance of government, writes George Wuerthner. But the truth is that ranchers, especially those using federal land, depend on a host of generous subsidies, both economic and ecological.
We must rid the American West of 'welfare ranching' George Wuerthner | 22nd June 2014 Activism USA Farming Commons Natural World Water grand-view-ranch-cut.jpg The image of the rancher in the rugged …
Fishing quotas were meant to conserve stocks and support fishing communities, writes Emma Cardwell. But they have achieved the reverse - rewarding the most rapacious fishing enterprises and leaving small scale fisherfolk with nothing.
… Oceans Fishing Commons UK Iceland Politics Economics scottish-lobster-cut.jpg Fishing … Policy from the London School of Economics. Her research interests are in … society and food production, environmental economics, research theory, economic and …
The regional government of Castilla y León cancelled the plan for further coal mining by Mountain Top Removal Coal Mining in Spain's Laciana Valley. It's a huge victory for campaigners, but now a new kind of economy is needed for the already depressed area.
Spain - an end to Mountain Top Removal coal in Laciana Valley Amaranta Herrero Cabrejas | 4th April 2014 Activism Spain Coal Fossil Fuels Society feixolin-2014.png The regional government of Castilla …
The revolution taking place in Burkina Faso is far more than an uprising of rebellious youth, writes Alexander Reid Ross. It's a genuine fight for national liberation - from neoliberalism, land grabs, corruption and foreign domination - that evokes the freedom struggle of an earlier generation.
… to underdevelopment-extraction-based economics designed to loot natural resources. …
The True Cost Accounting in Food and Farming conference was remarkable - star speakers ... fine food, drink and music ... even an impromptu Panto performance. In short, writes Sharon Garfinkel, it was an inspiration to all who attended.
… | 3rd January 2014 Reviews Food Farming Economics farmers-market.png The True Cost … of nature and converting those examples into economics may sound banal, even silly and immoral, but is necessary because economics today is the language of politics." …
Europe's new targets for carbon emissions and renewable energy are severely retrograde and fly in the face of both science and economics. They will endanger climate and retard the renewable energy revolution.
… and fly in the face of both science and economics. They will endanger climate and … "Second, politics frequently trumps economics in the real world, and when …
Using local currencies to stimulate local economies and revalue local labour over imported products and resources sounds like a great idea - but recent experiences have proved disappointing. Are there other ways to 'close the money loop'?
… Hallam | 21st July 2014 Comment Green Economy Economics UK totnes-pound-cut.jpg Using local …