hi chris,
could you scribd this for a blogpost in early august, with same title as above, i.e. "the insuffficiency of efficiency"
see http://steadystate.org/wp-content/uploads/CASSE_Brief_Efficient_Allocation.pdf
Michel
CASSE:
"Long before the economy threatens the resilience
of ecosystems, economic growth can become
undesirable. Much growth (i.e., increasing GDP)
consists of “defensive expenditures,” products
and services that counteract the negative consequences
of other economic activities. An example
of a defensive expenditure is the treatment of
cancer caused by industrial pollution.
Even assuming a product causes no direct harm
to its user, its production inevitably contributes
to the depletion of natural resources. The tradeoff
between products and natural resources may
be worthwhile when the economy is small, but
as it grows, the additional products become increasingly
costly. Through much of human history
people have been made better off by having
and consuming more things. In high-consuming
countries today, however, the costs of increased
production often outweigh the benefits. Further
growth has become uneconomic."
(http://steadystate.org/wp-content/uploads/CASSE_Brief_Sustainable_Scale.pdf)
[[Category:Ecology]]
[[Category:Economics]]
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