Library

By: Jesus Ramos-Martin

Keywords: Degrowth, knowledge, sustainability, complexity, societal metabolism

By: Fabian Scheidler

"Why a social-ecological transformation is impossible without changing the deep structures of our economy: Opening a newspaper or listening to the radio news exposes us to a flood of catastrophic messages: devastating droughts, failing states, terrorist attacks, and financial crashes. You can look at all those incidents as unconnected singular phenomena, which is exactly what the common present...

By: Fabian Scheidler

"Warum sozialökologischer Wandel nicht ohne eine Veränderung der Tiefenstrukturen unserer Wirtschaft zu haben ist: Wer eine Zeitung aufschlägt oder Nachrichten hört, fühlt sich in ein Panoptikum von Katastrophenmeldungen veretzt: hier eine verheerende Dürre, dort ein zerfallender Staat, hier ein Terroranschlag, dort ein Finanz-Crash. Man kann alle diese Ereignisse als unzusammenhängende Einzelp...

By: Thomas O. Wiedmann, Heinz Schandl, Manfred Lenzen, Daniel Moran, Sangwon Suh, James West, Keiichiro Kanemoto

Abstract: Metrics on resource productivity currently used by governments suggest that some developed countries have increased the use of natural resources at a slower rate than economic growth (relative decoupling) or have even managed to use fewer resources over time (absolute decoupling). Using the material footprint (MF), a consumption-based indicator of resource use, we find the contrary: A...

By: Andreas Exner, Christian Lauk, Werner Zittel

Abstract  In recent years, the strategic role certain metals play is seen as central to the geopolitics promulgated by state agents in the North. While a switch to renewable energy and an increase in energy efficiency might be instrumental to reducing dependence on fossil energy, it increases dependence on metals. This paper starts from an analysis of the likely availability of metals in...

By: Herman Daly

The essay starts with a profound growth critique and then goes over to explain three approaches to integrate economy into the ecosystem. The first one the author calls economic imperialism. It is the concept of integrating the whole ecosphere into the economy by financialization, the second is an ecological reductionism and the 3rd is to create a steady state economy. The author is in favour of...

By: Katharine Farrel, Anke Schaffartzik

Scientific lecture at the 4th International Degrowth Conference for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity in Leipzig in 2014. Presentations by Katharine Farrel and Anke Schaffartzik. Katharine Farrel: Living Systems and (de)Growth: a matter of life and death Anke Schaffartzik: Scenarios for a biophysical degrowth of industrial metabolism

By: Juan Infante-Amate, Eduardo Aguilera, Manuel González de Molina

Abstract: The main purpose of this work is to quantify energy consumption in the agri-food chain in Spain. The years 1960, 1985 and 2010 are analysed, giving an overview of the important changes that have occurred in the sector. Consumption of different forms of energy is estimated (final, primary, distinguishing between direct and indirect consumption and between renewables and non-renewables)...

By: Helmut Knolle

Ecological Economics, History of economic theory, Recycling, Climate protection, Steady-state economy

By: Esperanza Martinez

Abstract: Our era is characterized by the end of easy-to-extract oil reserves. Unconventional and risky extraction techniques are proliferating. Oil extraction as motor of an economy has always had significant consequences for social and political organization, which are best understood if one looks at the different stages of oil exploitation, from prospection through production, processing and...

By: Gonzalo Gamboa

Abstract: In recent years there is an increasing interest in studying the performance of the so-called alternative, local or quality food supply chains. Different actors, endorsing different discourses, highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each supply chain according to their interests and their position in the chain (among other reasons). This paper explores the performance of global ...

By: Andreas Exner

From the text: “This [what degrowth scholars describe] is a non- capitalist market economy model of degrowth, the viability of which shall be discussed further on in three steps. First, I contrast with reciprocity the historical specificity of exchange, markets, and money in the modern sense. Second, I discuss the logical connection between market, money, and capital. Third, I analyze the contr...

By: Claudio Cattaneo, Giacomo D ’ Alisa

Time use analysis; Energy analysis; Paid work; Unpaid work; Societal metabolism; Catalonia; Degrowth

By: Giorgos Kallis

Degrowth; Work; Metabolism; Institutions

By: Alevgul H. Sorman, Mario Giampietro

Energetic metabolism; Societal metabolism; Net energy; IPAT; Degrowth

By: Laia Domènech, Hug March, David Sauría

Urban water management; Degrowth; Social multi-criteria evaluation; Non-conventional water supply; Decentralisation; Metropolitan Area of Barcelona

By: Mario Santi

From the text: Waste allows us to see our civilisation back-to-front. If we examine what we throw away (and why, when and how we remove it from our surroundings) we can understand who we are and where we are going. Starting from refuse, we can reconstruct the development of our civilisation and evaluate our standards of living and margins of survival. Thinking about the ‘end of life’ of things ...

By: Marinella Favot

KEYWORDS: ERP; extended producer responsibility; e-waste; WEEE; green design; design for environment (DfE); financial mechanisms

By: Laura Badalucco

Contribution to the 3rd International Degrowth Conference for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity in Venice in 2012. - only available in Italian

By: Teresa Baca, Pilar Lorente, Alberto Peña, José Manuel Soto, Francisco Peula, Antonio Salas, Manuela Perales, Carmen Bullejos, María de Nobili

Keywords: biowaste, sustainability, recycling