The 21st Century Crisis?
Is it possible to reduce consumption and achieve ecological sustainability while still meeting humanity’s basic needs? Research in The Journal of Environment & Development and the Review of Radical Political Economics looks at the issues and potential solutions:
“Technology Is Not Enough: Climate Change, Population, Affluence, and Consumption,” by Ronald B. Mitchell of the University of Oregon, published in the JED March 2012 issue:
If we fail to develop policies proactively to constrain population, affluence, and consumption while respecting other human values, we will almost certainly face impacts from climate change that constrain population, affluence, and consumption for us.
“The 21st Century Crisis: Climate Catastrophe or Socialism,” by Minqi Li of the University of Utah, published in the RRPE September 2011 issue:
Under the current trend, the world is on track towards an extreme greenhouse state that threatens to destroy human civilization and nearly all forms of life on Earth. Without an end to economic growth, it is virtually impossible for meaningful climate stabilization to be achieved. However, both capitalist enterprises and states are constantly driven to expand production and consumption.
