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CASSE* Position on Economic Growth
Whereas:
1) Economic growth, as defined in standard economics textbooks, is
an increase in the production and consumption of goods and services,
and;
2) Economic growth occurs when there is an increase in the
multiplied product of population and per capita consumption, and;
3) The global economy grows as an integrated whole consisting of
agricultural, extractive, manufacturing, and services sectors that
require physical inputs and produce wastes, and;
4) Economic growth is often and generally indicated by increasing
real gross domestic product (GDP) or real gross national product
(GNP), and;
5) Economic growth has been a primary, perennial goal of many
societies and most governments, and;
6) Based upon established principles of physics and ecology, there
is a limit to economic growth, and;
7) There is increasing evidence that global economic growth is
having negative effects on long-term ecological and economic
welfare...
Therefore, we take the position that:
1) There is a fundamental conflict between economic growth and
environmental protection (for example, biodiversity conservation,
clean air and water, atmospheric stability), and;
2) There is a fundamental conflict between economic growth and the
ecological services underpinning the human economy (for example,
pollination, decomposition, climate regulation), and;
3) Technological progress has had many positive and negative
ecological and economic effects and may not be depended on to
reconcile the conflict between economic growth and long-term
ecological and economic welfare, and;
4) Economic growth, as gauged by increasing GDP, is an increasingly
dangerous and anachronistic goal, especially in wealthy nations with
widespread affluence, and;
5) A steady state economy (that is, an economy with a relatively
stable, mildly fluctuating product of population and per capita
consumption) is a viable alternative to a growing economy and has
become a more appropriate goal in large, wealthy economies, and;
6) The long-run sustainability of a steady state economy requires
its establishment at a size small enough to avoid the breaching of
reduced ecological and economic capacity during expected or
unexpected supply shocks such as droughts and energy shortages, and;
7) A steady state economy does not preclude economic development, a
dynamic, qualitative process in which different technologies may be
employed and the relative prominence of economic sectors may evolve,
and;
8) Upon establishing a steady state economy, it would be advisable
for wealthy nations to assist other nations in moving from the goal
of economic growth to the goal of a steady state economy, beginning
with those nations currently enjoying high levels of per capita
consumption, and;
9) For many nations with widespread poverty, increasing per capita
consumption (or, alternatively, more equitable distributions of
wealth) remains an appropriate goal.
Does the CASSE Position Change with the Times?
The CASSE position has been available for e-signing since May 1,
2004. Although it was designed with global implications, it was
also focused to some degree on economic growth in the United
States. It was slightly revised on June 3, 2008, to reflect growing
concerns about global economic growth and the need for wealthy
nations to take the first steps in moving toward a steady state
economy. CASSE does not modify the technical aspects of the
position, as these are based on long-established scientific
principles. The original CASSE position is posted
here,
with the revisions readily discernible.
Organizations that Have Adopted a Position on Economic Growth or
Endorsed the CASSE Position
Professional scientific societies that have adopted a position on
economic growth:
-
American Society of Mammalogists (2007)
- Ecological Society
of America (2009)
- The Wildlife
Society (2004)
Private, corporate, nonprofit, and political organizations that
have endorsed the CASSE position:
- A-1 Builders
and Adaptations, Bellingham, WA, USA, 2009
- Abraham
Paiss and Associates, Boulder, Colorado, USA, 2008
- Animal
Alliance of Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2008
- Arthur
Morgan Institute for Community Solutions, Yellow Springs, Ohio,
USA, 2008
- The Australia
Institute, Manuka, Australia, 2009
- California
Institute for Rural Studies, Davis, California, USA, 2009
-
Campaign for Sustainable Economics, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA,
2007
-
Center for Food Safety, Washington, DC, USA, 2009
- Centre for Health Promotion and Research, Fairlight, New South
Wales, Australia, 2008
- Citizens
for Responsible Community Planning, Kelowna, British Columbia,
Canada, 2009
-
Citizen-Powered Media, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, 2008
- Club of
Rome, European Union Chapter, Antwerp, Belgium, 2009
- Coast Range
Association, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, 2004
- Coos County Alternatives To Growth, Coos Bay, Oregon, USA, 2007
-
Conservation Planning Institute, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, 2005
- Creative
Change Education Solutions, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA, 2009
-
Denver Energy Awareness, Denver, Colorado, USA, 2009
- EarthAction,
Amherst, MA, USA, 2009
- Earth
Economics, Seattle, WA, USA, 2004
-
Ecoforestry Institute, Vicoria, British Columbia, Canada, 2008
- EcoHearth,
Brooklyn, New York, USA, 2009
-
Ecological Internet, Inc., Denmark, Wisconsin, USA, 2005
- EcoNorfolk
Foundation, Norfolk Island, Australia, 2008
- Environmental
Research Foundation, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, 2008
-
Evidence of Humanity, Seattle, Washington, USA, 2008
- Fodor
and Associates, Eugene, Oregon, USA, 2006
- Forrest Hill
for Secretary of State, Oakland, California, USA, 2006
- Foundation
for Deep Ecology, Sausalito, California, USA, 2008
- La Fundacion
Neotropica, Turrialba, Costa Rica, 2008
- Gaia Preservation
Coalition, Picton, Ontario, Canada, 2007
- Gaian
Economics, Stroud, United Kingdom, 2007
- Genersys
PLC, London, United Kingdom, 2006
- Global
Oneness Project, San Rafael, California, 2009
- Global Resource Bank,
Hallandale Beach, Florida, USA, 2008
- Good Dirt
Radio, Durango, Colorado, USA, 2009
- Green Lantau
Association, Hong Kong, China, 2009
- Green
Party of England and Wales, London, United Kingdom, 2009
- Heartwood
Forest Council, Bloomington, Indiana, USA, 2009
- Holy
Cross International Justice Office, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA,
2009
-
Hopkins & Associates, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 2009
-
Indiana Forest Alliance, Bloomington, Indiana, USA, 2009
- Indigo
Development, Santa Rosa, California, USA, 2009
-
Inspiring Green Leadership, Bay Area, California, USA, 2008
- Institute for
Children's Environmental Health, Freeland, Washington, USA, 2008
- International Center
for Technology Assessment, Washington, DC, USA, 2008
-
International Society for Ecology and Culture, Dartington,
United Kingdom, 2008
- Jack Lindblad for State Assembly, North Hollywood, CA, USA
2009
-
Jubilee Economic Ministries, San Diego, California, USA, 2009
- Kentucky
Heartwood, Versailles, Kentucky, USA, 2009
- Lake
Michigan Watchdogs, Ogden Dunes, Indiana, USA, 2009
- The Land
Institute, Salina, Kansas, USA, 2005
- Manitou
Project, Williamsville, Vermont, USA, 2009
- Manomet Center
for Conservation Sciences, Manomet, Massachusetts, USA, 2009
- Martin Environmental Services, Heriot Bay, British Columbia,
Canada, 2007
- Maryknoll
Office for Global Concerns, Washington, DC, USA, 2008
-
Midwest Sustainable Energy Contractors, Moline, Illinois, USA,
2009
- National Center
for Conservation Science and Policy, Ashland, Oregon, USA, 2007
- Nature and
Wildlife Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2007
- Noosa
Parks Association, Noosa Shire, Australia, 2008
- Optimum
Population Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom, 2009
- Portfolio 21
Investments, Portland, Oregon, USA, 2008
-
Qualicum Institute, Parksville, British Columbia, Canada, 2006
- Pender
Islands Trust Protection Society, Pender Island, British
Columbia, Canada, 2009
- Pender Islands Women's Institute, Pender Island, British Columbia,
Canada, 2009
- Post Carbon
Institute, Sebastopol, California, USA, 2009
- The
Preservation Institute, Berkeley, California, USA, 2008
- PROUT
Institute, Eugene, OR, USA, 2009
- Raedeke
Associates, Inc., Seattle, Washington, USA, 2008
- Red
Rock Institute, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA, 2009
- ReSource Institute
for Low Entropy Systems, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 2009
- Rhode
Island Prosperity Project, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 2008
- Rushing
Rivers Institute, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA, 2007
- San Francisco
Naturalist Society, San Francisco, California, USA, 2009
- Science and
Environmental Health Network, Ames, Iowa, USA, 2008
- Share The World's
Resources, London, United Kingdom, 2007
-
Sierra Club Winding Waters Group, Columbus, Indiana, USA, 2009
- Sisk-a-dee,
Gunnison, Colorado, USA, 2005
- Stanford Knowledge
Integration Laboratory, Stanford, California, USA, 2009
-
Statistical Design, Inc., Seattle, Washington, USA, 2007
-
The Sustainability Project, Lanark, Ontario, Canada, 2008
- Sustainable Community Development Services, New Westminster,
British Columbia, Canada, 2008
-
Sustainable Obtainable Solutions, Helena, Montana, USA, 2005
-
Sustainable Population Australia, Western Creek (ACT),
Australia, 2008
- Sustainable Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA,
2007
-
Sustainable Scale Project, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 2006
-
Sustainable Steps, Portland, Oregon, USA, 2009
- TurtleStep,
Neuhaus am Inn, Germany, 2009
- University of
KwaZulu-Natal Centre for Civil Society, Durban, South Africa,
2008
- Vermont
Earth Institute, Burlington, Vermont, USA, 2009
- Vermonters for a
Sustainable Population, Washington, Vermont, USA, 2008
- Visions
West, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, 2008
-
Witness for Peace, New England Region, Richmond, Vermont, USA,
2009
- Work Less
Party, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 2005
Other organizations that have adopted a similar position on
economic growth:
-
Arrowsmith Naturalists, Parksville, British Columbia, Canada
2008
-
City of Bloomington Environmental Commission, Bloomington,
Indiana, USA, 2008
- Federation of
British Columbia Naturalists (BC Nature), North Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada, 2008
- Green Party of the
United States, Washington, DC, USA, 2004
-
Lillooet Naturalist Society, Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada,
2007
For more information on CASSE.
| Copyright © 2007 by Robert Traer |