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The Steady State Economy As A Sustainable Alternative To Economic Growth: Position Of The Society For Conservation Biology, North America Section
Whereas:
- Economic growth is an increase in the production and consumption of
goods and services, and;
- Economic growth occurs when there is an increase in the product of
population multiplied by per capita production and consumption, and;
- Economic growth is often and generally indicated by increasing real
gross domestic product (GDP) or real gross national product (GNP), and;
- Based upon established principles of physics and ecology, there is
a limit to economic growth, and;
- A steady state economy is generally indicated by stabilized (or mildly
fluctuating) real gross domestic product (GDP) or real gross national product
(GNP), and;
- A steady state economy, with a stabilized (or mildly fluctuating) product
of population multiplied by per capita consumption, is an alternative to
economic growth; and;
- A steady state economy, with stabilized (or mildly fluctuating) production
and consumption of goods and services, is an alternative to economic growth,
and;
- The North American economy grows as an integrated whole consisting
of agricultural, extractive, manufacturing, and services sectors that require
physical inputs and produce wastes, and;
- There is increasing evidence that North American economic growth is
having negative effects on the long-term ecological and economic welfare
of North America and the world
The North America Section of the Society for Conservation Biology takes the position that:
- There is a fundamental conflict between economic growth and biodiversity
conservation based on the ecological principle of competitive exclusion,
and;
- There is a fundamental conflict between economic growth and the ecological
services underpinning the human economy (for example, pollination, decomposition,
climate regulation), and;
- Technological progress has had many positive and negative ecological
and economic effects and may not be depended upon to reconcile the conflict
between economic growth and biodiversity conservation, and;
- Because of its negative effects on long-term ecological and economic
welfare, economic growth is an increasingly dangerous and anachronistic North
American goal, and;
- A steady state economy is a viable, sustainable alternative to a growing
economy and has become a more appropriate goal in the larger, wealthier economies
of North America, and;
- The long-run sustainability of a steady state economy requires its
establishment at a size that does not breach ecological and economic capacity
during expected or unexpected supply shocks such as droughts and energy shortages,
and;
- A steady state economy does not preclude economic development, a qualitative
process in which different technologies may be employed and the relative
prominence of economic sectors may evolve, and;
- Upon establishing steady state economies, it would be advisable for
North American 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 the highest levels of per capita consumption,
and;
- For many nations with widespread poverty, increasing per capita consumption
(or, alternatively, more equitable distributions of wealth) remains an appropriate
goal for the time being, yet the ultimate goal should be the establishment
of healthy ecological and social conditions within the framework of a steady
state economy.
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