Flourishing Within Limits to Growth: Following nature's way

Jorgensen, S.E., Fath, B.D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9440-6842, Nielsen, S.N., Pulselli, F.M., Fiscus, D.A., & Bastianoni, S. (2015). Flourishing Within Limits to Growth: Following nature's way. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1138842533 10.4324/9781315731445.

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Abstract

Decades of research and discussion have shown that the human population growth and our increased consumption of natural resources cannot continue - there are limits to growth. This volume demonstrates how we might modify and revise our economic systems using nature as a model. The book describes how nature uses three growth forms: biomass, information, and networks, resulting in improved overall ecosystem functioning and co-development. As biomass growth is limited by available resources, nature uses the two other growth forms to achieve higher resource use efficiency. Through a universal application of the three 'R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle, nature thus shows us a way forward towards better solutions. However, our current approach, dominated by short-term economic thinking, inhibits full utilization of the three 'R's and other successful approaches from nature. Building on ecological principles, the authors present a global model and futures scenario analyses which show that implementation of the proposed changes will lead to a win-win situation. In other words, we can learn from nature how to develop a society that can flourish within the limits to growth with better conditions for prosperity and well-being.

Item Type:	Book
Research Programs:	Advanced Systems Analysis (ASA)
Bibliographic Reference:	Routledge, London, UK [July 2015]
Related URLs:	Publisher - http://routledge.com
Depositing User:	IIASA Import
Date Deposited:	15 Jan 2016 08:53
Last Modified:	27 Aug 2021 17:25
URI:	https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/11608

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