Stories tagged with "resource utilization"

Resource Curse and Rising Inequality - Jon Erickson on Reality Report

Posted by Gail the Actuary on April 6, 2009 - 9:10am
Topic: Environment/Sustainability
Tags: inequality, resource utilization [list all tags]

Today on Global Public Media's "The Reality Report", Jason's guest will be University of Vermont Professor Jon Erickson who will discuss the global credit crisis in the context of the resource course and rising inequality. Jon and Jason will discuss how to possible change our institutions to be more aligned with our biophysical and psychological realities.

Jon is one of Nate's advisors at the University of Vermont. The Reality Report airs today at 12:10 EST on www.kzyx.org.

According to pre-recording emails, some the discussion may be about the following:

The economic growth path that the U.S. has been on over the last 30 to 40 years has lead to greater inequality and less well-being. This was not by accident. It was designed and supported by economic theory that said high growth comes from higher inequality. This path is biophysically bankrupt and socially undesirable.

Should we go back to this path of growing economy and shrinking well-being? What might another way look like?

Comments (38) | | Permalink | Without comments | PDF version

Our World Is Finite: Is This a Problem?

Posted by Prof. Goose on April 30, 2007 - 9:20am
Topic: Supply/Production
Tags: fresh water, natural gas, oil, peak oil, resource utilization, technology, topsoil [list all tags]

This is a guest post by Gail the Actuary.

We all know the world is finite. The number of atoms is finite, and these atoms combine to form a finite number of molecules. The mix of molecules may change over time, but in total, the number of molecules is also finite.

We also know that growth is central to our way of life. Businesses are expected to grow. Every day new businesses are formed and new products are developed. The world population is also growing, so all this adds up to a huge utilization of resources.

At some point, growth in resource utilization must collide with the fact that the world is finite. We have grown up thinking that the world is so large that limits will never be an issue. But now, we are starting to bump up against limits.

So, what are the earth's limits? Are we reaching them?

There's more… (3002 words) | Comments (203) | | Permalink | Without comments | PDF version