A 4-Step Plan for a Post Growth-Ready New Zealand

There is a plausible future in which economic growth is too hard - or undesirable - and is dropped as a economic goal. Instead, distributive and regenerative factors would be emphasised in business and policymaking to enhance wellbeing and nature as new economic priorities. Economics would become socio-ecological. You might ask: why should we prep … Continue reading A 4-Step Plan for a Post Growth-Ready New Zealand

IPCC Gives Mainstream Economics A Free Pass

The IPCC report, issued on 20 March 2023, is an invaluable synthesis of climate science; however, there is a fundamental issue with IPCC reports in general. They communicate climate science using language that is also used by mainstream economists, such as modelling, equilibrium, financial flows, market barriers, leverage, costs and budgets. This shared lexicon unfortunately … Continue reading IPCC Gives Mainstream Economics A Free Pass

Degrowth-Oriented Value Creation

An important new paper on degrowth-oriented business value creation has just been published. We all understand how businesses create value in the growth paradigm - business models organise activities to enable strategies of efficiency, expansion and innovation to create products and services that increase material and financial wealth for stakeholders. Degrowth paradigm value creation and … Continue reading Degrowth-Oriented Value Creation

If the Market and the State Cannot Provide Affordable, Sustainable Housing in Australia, Perhaps ‘Housing for Degrowth’ Can.

Having access to adequate housing is a human need and human right. Everyone deserves to have a home. In Australia, residential buildings are provided either by the market as private housing or by the state as social housing. Yet, modest income households are falling into a gap between them. Furthermore, housing stock does not meet … Continue reading If the Market and the State Cannot Provide Affordable, Sustainable Housing in Australia, Perhaps ‘Housing for Degrowth’ Can.

Review: Underland by Robert Macfarlane

In this first ever guest post for Heliocene, New Zealand writer Frances Palmer presents a deeply inquisitive review of Underland by Robert Macfarlane. Reaching into its text and its subtexts, she compels us not only to read the book but, more importantly, to understand why it has been written. Macfarlane, himself, writes that his book … Continue reading Review: Underland by Robert Macfarlane

Women’s Work: What’s It Worth?

Morocco footballers celebrated their World Cup successes first with their mums, recognising the daily support their mothers give them. This is analogous to the whole economy, momentarily giving visibility to the fact that women everywhere bear the burden of care work. The economy doesn't only consist of goods and services that are traded. The economy … Continue reading Women’s Work: What’s It Worth?

Degrowth and Labour Solidarity

Political geography professor Matthew Huber argues that degrowth is middle class environmentalism and cannot hope to connect with the working class. Degrowth intellectual Jason Hickel responds, echoing environmentalist Chico Mendes, who said that "ecology without class struggle is just gardening". He writes that “degrowth is justice” and that recognising this is “part of building class … Continue reading Degrowth and Labour Solidarity

Sustainable Growth Is Out, Sustainable Degrowth Is In

Sustainable development, facilitated over the last 50 years by the UN, underpins mainstream business sustainability - the art of balancing decision making over three co-equal pillars: economic growth, environmental protection and social progress. But any business equation that includes economic growth inherently endangers environments and societies because growth (ie development) depends on extraction and exploitation. … Continue reading Sustainable Growth Is Out, Sustainable Degrowth Is In

Degrowth Policy Example

Degrowth is a democratic, planned reduction in production and consumption to rebalance humanity's relationship with nature and improve human wellbeing. I talk a lot about how businesses and industries need to be aware of degrowth as a resilience issue - meaning they need to prepare to adapt and transform as degrowth forces gather and take … Continue reading Degrowth Policy Example

What Does Earth Really Need From Patagonia?

Clothing company Patagonia’s announcement this week that “Earth is now our only shareholder” has lit up screens around the world. Founder Yvon Chouinard and his family have transferred complete ownership of the company, valued at US$3 billion, to two new entities. The Patagonia Purpose Trust, created to protect the company’s values and overseen by the … Continue reading What Does Earth Really Need From Patagonia?

Business Sustainability Has Lost Its Way

The bright lights of ESG are distracting us from the primary purpose of business sustainability. A sobering report from the UN Secretary-General warns that we are regressing on the SDGs. It's time now for corporates to turn their powerful gaze toward absolute impact and to refocus on business sustainability's raison d'être. The Ledger: ESG Funds … Continue reading Business Sustainability Has Lost Its Way