‘Religion is the opium of the people’ is one of Marx’s best-known aphorisms. It is memorable because it tells us so much about the manipulation of faith in the industrial era
… Economic growth - the elephant in the room? Aidan … Rankin | 1st December 2005 News Economic Growth Karl Marx Neo-liberalism Economics Growth Consumerism International Development …
Economist Herman E Daly argues that our future depends on a new economic model, one that needs to be defined by the dynamic balance – the steady state – of the natural world upon which it depends.
… it depends. We have lived for 200 years in a growth economy. In this time we have come to … degradation – can be solved by more growth. And if the global economy existed in a … (roads, factories, appliances) added by ‘growth’. The Earth as a whole is approximately …
China has just recorded its first fall in emissions from burning fossil fuels in 15 years, writes Lauri Myllyvirta. The sharp decline has surprised analysts, and reflects the fast growing proportion of renewables in the country's power supply.
… energy consumption grew. Coal consumption growth in China has been slowing down since … Statistical Yearbook 2014, coal consumption growth slowed from an average of 6.1% per year … 2.6% on average between 2012-2013, while GDP growth averaged 10.5% and 7.7% per year, …
Over in Davos world leaders are desperately trying to find a 'fourth industrial revolution' to keep the 'growth' juggernaut rolling, write Bennet Francis & Rupert Read. But their efforts are doomed: the real challenge we face is to build a healthy, more equal society and a green, sustainable future for us all.
… Peak stuff: the 'growth' party is over. So what next? Bennet … a 'fourth industrial revolution' to keep the 'growth' juggernaut rolling, write Bennet … there is China, a country whose phenomenal growth has been a fixed point in the global …
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.
… Well-being, not growth, must be our economic purpose Christine … economic goals than the pursuit of endless growth. When British Prime Minister David … good proxy for social welfare. If we go for growth whilst ensuring that markets work …
Renewable energy is all go in China, as set out in its climate pledge this week, writes John Mathews, with huge growth planned for wind and solar. The one big loser - coal exporters who can expect falling sales volumes in coming years. Wake up Australia!
… China's climate pledge for green growth spells doom for coal exporters John … this week, writes John Mathews, with huge growth planned for wind and solar. The one big … cubic metres relative to 2005 levels. Green growth Note that these targets reflect a …
Don’t be afraid of the recession, says Andrew Simms , it may just be the lucky break we need to get our heads around a more sane economy and a better quality of life
… Simms | 1st April 2008 Comment Consumption Growth Recession Wellbeing Happiness … longer periods of low-to-negative economic growth and coincide with bad things, such as … example above is a variation in ‘sales growth’ of only 2.2 per cent). The conflation …
The world economy and energy use both grew in 2014 - but carbon emissions did not, writes Alex Kirby. The reason? The worldwide surge in renewables, especially in China, has reduced demand for coal in power generation.
… energy consumption in recent years and 3% GDP growth last year, 2014's CO 2 emissions were … say this decoupling of economic and CO 2 growth is due to China's increased use of … by OECD countries to promote more sustainable growth, including by increased energy …
The renewable power boom is excellent news for people and planet, writes Pete Dolack. But let's not get carried away: much energy that claims to be 'renewable; like biomass and big hydro, is no such thing. And greening our energy is just one of many steps to a sustainable world. The greatest challenges - like tackling the monster of infinite 'growth' - all lie ahead.
… - like tackling the monster of infinite 'growth' - all lie ahead. Denmark has … negatively. The decoupling of economic growth from energy consumption is partially … the annual reduction in 'consumption growth' on a global basis would be only 0.06% …
Frontline communities are showing the way to a 'post-extractive' renewable energy transition that is socially just and ecologically viable.
… Extraction Renewables Capitalism Economic Growth Degrowth san_gorgonio_pass_wind_farm.jpg … and military and other sources. De-growth The report delves deeper still to …
Where does the Green Party go now? Last week's uninspiring election results show that Jeremy Corbyn's Labour poses a serious challenge to us Greens, who can no longer succeed by being merely left wing. We must fulfil our own destiny, representing a distinct, authentic ecological strand in politics, making the case for living as if we only had one planet - as is in fact the case.
… converted into unprecedented membership growth, and (briefly) double digits in the … key: ecology, and quality of life. Beyond 'growth' At the heart of this big picture is … need to slay the tired old dragon of economic growthism . Of the obsession, which everyone …
Levels of CO2 are at their the highest in 800,000 years, writes Tim Radford, but news of a probable decline in emissions this year is providing welcome cheer at the COP21 climate summit: thanks to renewables, economic growth and falling emissions can go hand in hand.
… summit: thanks to renewables, economic growth and falling emissions can go hand in … energy and to limit climate change. Economic growth The findings are in two papers by Le … to happen in a period of strong economic growth. For most of this century, emissions …
A breakdown of how major countries compare on their success in attracting investment in wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy in the past year
… in small-scale solar. Some of the biggest growth in investment was in India and Latin … government. China China saw a 39 per cent growth in its 2010 clean energy investment, … Although Indonesia does rank 4th for 5 year growth, its starting point is much lower, …
Easter is a time when - chocolate munching aside - it's still possible to take a step back from consumer-capitalism, writes Frederick Trainer, and pause to think where it's getting us. The sad fact is that so long as society is driven by consumerism, our society can never be ecologically sustainable or just.
… market forces, the profit motive and economic growth. The only way out is via a huge and … end in sight. Our supreme goal is economic growth, but few people seem to recognise the … by 2050 (assuming 3% yearly economic growth), the world's total consumption would …
The greatest myth of the consumer society is that modern lifestyles are 'normal' - and this can continue forever because we're clever little apes who can solve any problem, writes Paul Mobbs. That hubris, in the face of insurmountable ecological limits, will be our collective downfall.
… the material restrictions on the pursuit of growth , has accelerated the deleterious … battle is lost without a critique of economic growth. Look at this graph - (above right) . … has been increasing over this time? Economic growth. It is not simply 'consumption' which …
What do the Australian Environment Foundation, the Renewable Energy Foundation and the Global Warming Policy Foundation have in common? They are all fiercely anti-environment, writes William Laurance - and we must beware their 'eco-doublespeak'.
… is decidedly conservative. Clearly it's a growth industry ... Environmental front groups … closely affiliated with Alan Oxley, World Growth International, lobbies against a range … refuses to reveal who funds World Growth, asserting this is " immaterial " . I …
Mining for minerals and metals is on the rise, threatening communities, ecosystems and a just transition to clean energy.
… set out by the Industrial Strategy is 'Clean Growth’, which focuses on putting the UK at … 4.0’, is promised to bring ‘clean’ economic growth and increase resource efficiency in the … a factor of 25 by 2050. As a result of this growth, the sharp rise in price of minerals …
Wind generates almost a twentieth of America's power, writes Kieran Cooke - and that's set to double in five years, despite the phase-out of tax credits. Now the main constraint to future expansion is power line capacity.
… resource" , the DOE says. Impressive growth The rate of growth of wind power in the US has been … elimination of tax breaks initially slowed growth in the construction of wind energy …
There are hopeful signs that China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, is becoming less reliant on the polluting coal that powered its rapid economic rise, writes Kieran Cooke. Great news for China, and the planet - but worrying for coal exporters!
… of all energy sources, has powered the growth of China's flyaway economy. But as … economic expansion back in the late 1980s. Growth in coal imports at a 'virtual halt' … a recent analysis of China's coal sector that growth in coal imports, which had been going …
One evening in March, wind delivered over 10,000 MW of electricity to Texas's power grid, almost 30% of total demand, reports Ian Partridge, and another 18,500 MW of capacity is under construction. So just why is Texas going so big on wind?
… ended. In spite of the uncertainty, long term growth These cycles create high levels of … wind industry has consistently achieved rapid growth over a long period. Annual capacity growth from 1990-2011 was 16.3% , and during …
The rapid spread of solar power across China, India, Africa and Latin America is being driven not by subsidy but by the market
… now. So can nuclear power do it? Assume a 2% growth in primary energy demand per year over … Rely on nuclear power to accommodate all the growth, and knock out 4,000 Mtoe-worth of … about one a day. Or in an exponential growth scenario, the world would need to …
Powered by 100% renewable energy, Apple is maintaining its lead as the internet's greenest company, But others are lagging behind: Google has yet to reach 50% and relies heavily on coal, while Amazon's AWS, the massive 'dark cloud' of the web, won't even answer questions.
… fossil fuel sector and rapid energy demand growth for the internet driven by … Carolina, and Taiwan is causing the rapid growth in the digital world to increase the … a green internet . Despite continued rapid growth, Apple appears to have kept pace with …
Uncontrolled growth of financial debt is currently laying waste to large parts of the global economy. An explosion of ecological debt looks set to do the same, but worse, to a biosphere friendly to human civilisation.
… basics Andrew Simms | 22nd April 2009 Comment Growth Sustainability New Economics Foundation … Economics Green Living_50.jpg Uncontrolled growth of financial debt is currently laying … sharing and co-operation, not unlimited growth, fed by individualistic, …
China has now overtaken the European Union as the largest new market for solar power, writes Paul Brown - as solar PV becomes one of the world's fastest growing industries - and one that's sure to keep on getting cheaper!
… has helped to increase the extraordinary growth of the solar power across the world and … the state of the world market and its growth in individual countries, is also … countries only for 2013, it says that the growth of the industry continued in 2014, …