growth Archive

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  Growth versus Development

  
  
  
  Dr Dennis Meadows, one of the authors of Limits to Growth, spoke last year at the World Resources Forum in Davos. Reading Limits to Growth was what set me on the path to becoming a Green. Despite many false and ad hominem attacks on the research, it stands up very well in its forecast for humanity’s [...] read more
  March 5, 2010 8:55 am - 30 Comments
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  Population and Climate Change

  
  
  
  As greens, it seems pretty intuitive that runaway population growth is unsustainable. That argument rages in back rooms, but rarely gets much air in the media because it is such a controversial topic. read more
  September 28, 2009 10:37 am - 18 Comments
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  Bottoms up to financial growth

  
  
  
  Peter Kean, the Managing Director for Lion Nathan New Zealand gave a unique insight on Morning Report this morning into what happens when the need for financial growth detaches itself from social well being: The beer market and the alcohol market have been very resilient. We’re not complacent about that but it is a positive trend. [...] read more
  November 19, 2008 2:56 pm - 27 Comments
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  We can’t grow our way to fairness

  
  
  
  Last week I pointed to New Scientist’s special issue on The Folly of Growth.  One of its really compelling articles was Andrew Simm’s explanation of why growth didn’t and couldn’t end poverty as its proponents have often claimed: THE last line of defence for advocates of indefinite global economic growth is that it is needed to [...] read more
  November 4, 2008 1:53 pm - 22 Comments
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  Daly and Suzuki on the folly of growth

  
  
  
  I am spending some of my holiday weekend wallowing in this month´s New Scientist special issue entitled ¨The folly of growth¨. (Both linked articles require a subscription to read, sorry. I bought a hard copy.) Economist Herman Daly talks about how economics has a blind spot that has put humanity and the the earth on [...] read more
  October 27, 2008 12:01 pm - 92 Comments
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  What politicians dare not say. (Except the Greens)

  
  
  
  In the usual sequence of events, what was once Green heresy is now at least being openly discussed in the mainstream media. This month´s New Scientist has a series of articles about the limits to growth and our politician´s and economist´s obsession with growth – and how it is killing us and the planet that [...] read more
  October 25, 2008 5:05 pm - 136 Comments
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  Did National really want to be measured on how much it would grow by?

  
  
  
  Kiwiblog and National’s Nick Smith are both complaining that the Greens ‘criteria for choosing who we could or could not work with after the election were biased because they did not ask what each party was going to do to grow the economy or create wealth. This is the perfect opportunity to segue into another [...] read more
  October 20, 2008 4:33 pm - 46 Comments
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  Carbon fin prints

  
  
  
  Jeanette’s question this afternoon on the Government’s claim to be the first carbon neutral country in the world resulted in the usual banter with the Michael Cullen, who was answering on behalf of the Prime Minister. Even National’s Nick Smith got in on the game, asking much the same as what many Green supporters [...] read more
  May 29, 2008 9:15 pm - 17 Comments
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  John Key’s Investigate interview

  
  
  
  John Key gets environmental in the latest Investigate magazine interview [not on line]: First his views on Peak Oil: Yeah, I’m not sure I entirely buy the peak oil argument. I guess, if it’s real, and demand really is greater than the world’s ability to supply, then you’ll certainly see technology being invoked that will [...] read more
  May 23, 2008 2:42 pm - 115 Comments
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  How big a slice of tax cut would you like?

  
  
  
  Tax cuts. Cullen says his will be smaller but won’t negatively affect the economy or public services. English says his will be bigger but doesn’t want to play that up too much in case he gets caught in the chewing gum trap Cullen found him self in last election. Or worse, he could [...] read more
  March 27, 2008 1:55 pm - 7 Comments