DOCSLIB.ORG

The Limits to Growth: the 30-Year Update

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Limits to Growth: the 30-Year Update PAPERBACK COVER SPINE 26.5MM Limits to Growth LIMITS TO GROWTH ‘NOT EVERYTHING BEARS REPETITION, BUT TRUTH DOES – especially when that truth is both denied by entrenched interests and verified by new information’ NB*** to match the bleed of “G” at spine fold on left side front cover HERMAN E. DALY former World Bank senior economist and professor, University of Maryland ‘It is time for the world to re-read Limits to Growth! The message of “h” of “Growth” on front cover BLEEDS OFF 1972 is more real and relevant in 2004, and we wasted 30 valuable years of action by misreading the message of the first book’ MATTHEW R. SIMMONS Limits to founder, Simmons & Company International, the world’s largest energy investment banking firm ‘If you only read one book … make this it!’ L. HUNTER LOVINS co-author, Natural Capitalism ‘An impressive sequel [that] shuns gloom and doom to be boldly pragmatic about the future’ THE 30-YEAR UPDATE Kirkus Reviews In 1972, Limits to Growth shocked the world and forever changed the global agenda by demonstrating that unchecked growth on our finite planet The trim cuts the letter, foredge. was leading the Earth towards ecological ‘overshoot’ and pending disaster. Growth The book went on to sell millions of copies and ignited a firestorm of THE 30-YEAR UPDATE controversy that burns hotter than ever in these days of soaring oil prices, wars for resources and human-induced climate change. This substantially revised, expanded and updated edition follows on from Limits to Growth and its sequel Beyond the Limits, which raised the alarm that we have already overshot the planet’s carrying capacity. Marshalling a vast array of new, hard data and more powerful computer . Randers modelling, and incorporating the latest thinking on sustainability, ecological Meadows Meadows footprinting and limits, this new book presents future overshoot scenarios and makes an even more urgent case for a rapid readjustment of the global economy towards a sustainable path. This is compelling and, indeed, essential reading for all concerned with our common future. & EARTHSCAN DONELLA MEADOWS was Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College, USA. JORGEN RANDERS is a policy analyst and Donella Meadows • Jorgen Randers • Dennis Meadows President Emeritus at the Norwegian School of Management. DENNIS ISBN 978-1-84407-144-9 MEADOWS is Professor of Systems Management and Director of the Institute for Policy and Social Science Research, University of New Hampshire, USA. ,!7IB8E4-ahbeej! EARTHSCAN www.earthscan.co.uk LIMITS TO GROWTH LIMITS TO GROWTH The 30-Year Update Donella Meadows Jorgen Randers Dennis Meadows London • Sterling, VA First published by Earthscan in the UK in 2005 Reprinted 2006 Copyright © Dennis Meadows, 2004 All rights reserved ISBN-10: 1-84407-144-8 ISBN-13: 978-1-84407-144-9 Printed and bound in the UK by Bath Press Cover design by Andrew Corbett For a full list of publications please contact: Earthscan 8–12 Camden High Street London, NW1 0JH, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7387 8558 Fax: +44 (0)20 7387 8998 Email: [email protected] Web: www.earthscan.co.uk Earthscan is an imprint of James & James (Science Publishers) Ltd and publishes in association with the International Institute for Environment and Development A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Printed on elemental chlorine-free paper Dedication Over the past three decades many people and organizations have helped us understand how limits to material growth will shape global futures. We ded- icate this volume to three individuals whose contributions were fundamental: Aurelio Peccei, founder of the Club of Rome, whose profound concern for the world and undying faith in humanity inspired us and many others to care about and address the prospects for humanity’s long-term future. Jay W. Forrester, professor emeritus of the Sloan School of Management at MIT and our teacher. He designed the prototype of the computer model we have used, and his profound systems insights have helped us understand the behaviors of economic and environmental systems. Finally, it is our sad honor to dedicate this book to its main author, Donella H. Meadows. Widely known as Dana, by all those who respected her and appreciated her work, she was a world-class thinker, writer, and social inno- vator. Her high standards for communication, ethics, and service still inspire and challenge us—and thousands of others. Much of the analysis and prose here are hers, but this book was completed after Dana’s death in February 2001. We intend that this edition will honor and advance her lifelong effort to inform the world’s citizens and coax them toward sustainability. Contents Authors’ Preface ix 1. Overshoot 1 2. The Driving Force: Exponential Growth 17 3. The Limits: Sources and Sinks 51 4. World3: The Dynamics of Growth in a Finite World 129 5. Back from Beyond the Limits: The Ozone Story 181 6. Technology, Markets, and Overshoot 203 7. Transitions to a Sustainable System 235 8. Tools for the Transition to Sustainability 265 Appendices 1. Changes from World3 to World3-03 285 2. Indicators of Human Welfare and Ecological Footprint 289 Endnotes 295 List of Tables and Figures with Sources 311 Index 325 Authors’ Preface Background This book — Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update — is the third edition in a series. The first text appeared in 1972.1 In 1992 we published the revised edi- tion, Beyond the Limits (BTL),2 where we discussed global developments over the first 20 years in the scenarios of LTG. This 30-year update presents the essential parts of our original analysis and summarizes some of the relevant data and the insights we have acquired over the past three decades. The project that produced LTG took place in the System Dynamics Group of the Sloan School of Management within the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1970 to 1972. Our project team used system dynamics theory and computer modeling to analyze the long-term causes and consequences of growth in the world’s population and material economy. We addressed questions such as: Are current policies leading to a sus- tainable future or to collapse? What can be done to create a human economy that provides sufficiently for all? We had been commissioned to examine these questions by the Club of Rome, an informal, international group of distinguished businessmen, statesmen, and scientists. The Volkswagen Foundation in Germany pro- vided the funding for our work. Dennis Meadows, then on the faculty at MIT, assembled and directed the following project team, which spent two years conducting the original study. Alison A. Anderson, PhD (USA) Erich K.O. Zahn, PhD (Germany) Ilyas Bayar (Turkey) Jay M. Anderson, PhD (USA) Farhad Hakimzadeh (Iran) William W. Behrens III, PhD (USA) Judith A. Machen (USA) Steffen Harbordt, PhD (Germany) Donella H. Meadows, PhD (USA) Peter Milling, PhD (Germany) Nirmala S. Murthy (India) Roger F. Naill, PhD (USA) Jorgen Randers, PhD (Norway) Stephen Schantzis (USA) John A. Seeger, PhD (USA) Marilyn Williams (USA) ix x Authors’ Preface A major foundation of our project was the “World3” computer model, which we constructed to help us integrate data and theories related to growth.3 With the model we can produce scenarios of world development that are internally consistent. In the first edition of LTG we published and analyzed 12 scenarios from World3 that showed different possible patterns of world development over the two centuries from 1900 to 2100. BTL pre- sented 14 scenarios from a slightly updated version of World3. LTG became a best seller in several countries, eventually being translated into about 30 languages. BTL appeared in many languages and is widely used as a university text. 1972: The Limits to Growth The Limits to Growth (LTG) reported that global ecological constraints (related to resource use and emissions) would have significant influence on global developments in the twenty-first century. LTG warned that humanity might have to divert much capital and manpower to battle these constraints—possibly so much that the average quality of life would decline sometime during the twenty-first century. Our book did not specify exactly what resource scarcity or what emission type might end growth by requiring more capital than was available—simply because such detailed predictions can not be made on a scientific basis in the huge and complex population–economy–environment system that constitutes our world. LTG pleaded for profound, proactive, societal innovation through tech- nological, cultural, and institutional change in order to avoid an increase in the ecological footprint of humanity beyond the carrying capacity of planet Earth. Although the global challenge was presented as grave, the tone of LTG was optimistic, stressing again and again how much one could reduce the damage caused by approaching (or exceeding) global ecological limits if early action were taken. The 12 World3 scenarios in LTG illustrate how growth in population and natural resource use interacts with a variety of limits. In reality limits to growth appear in many forms. In our analysis we focused principally on the planet’s physical limits, in the form of depletable natural resources and the Authors’ Preface xi finite capacity of the earth to absorb emissions from industry and agricul- ture. In every realistic scenario we found that these limits force an end to physical growth in World3 sometime during the twenty-first century. Our analysis did not foresee abrupt limits—absent one day, totally binding the next. In our scenarios the expansion of population and physical capital gradually forces humanity to divert more and more capital to cope with the problems arising from a combination of constraints. Eventually so much cap- ital is diverted to solving these problems that it becomes impossible to sustain further growth in industrial output.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Wake Forest Offense
    JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2005 12 FOR BASKETBALL EVERYWHERE ENTHUSIASTS FIBA ASSIST MAGAZINE ASSIST FABRIZIO FRATES SKIP PROSSER - DINO GAUDIO THE OFFENSIVE FUNDAMENTALS: the SPACING AND RHYTHM OF PLAY JONAS KAZLAUSKAS SCOUTING THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES WAKE FOREST paT ROSENOW THREE-PERSON OFFICIATING LARS NORDMALM OFFENSE CHALLENGES AT THE FIBA EUROBASKET 2003 TONY WARD REDUCING THE RISK OF RE-INJURY EDITORIAL Women’s basketball in africa is moving up The Athens Olympics were remarkable in many Women's sport in Africa needs further sup- ways. One moment in Olympic history deserves port on every level. It is not only the often special attention, especially as it almost got mentioned lack of financial resources and unnoticed during the many sensational perfor- facilities which makes it difficult to run proper mances during the Games - the women's classi- development programs. The traditional role of fication game for the 12th place. When the women in society and certain religious norms women's team from Nigeria celebrated a 68-64 can create further burdens. Saying that, it is win over Korea after coming back from a 18 - 30 obvious that the popularity of the game is margin midway through the second period, this high and Africa's basketball is full of talent. It marked the first ever African victory of a is our duty to encourage young female women's team in Olympic history. This is even players to play basketball and give them the the more remarkable, as it was only the 3rd opportunity to compete on the highest level. appearance of an African team in the Olympics against a world class team that was playing for The FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship Bronze just 4 years ago in Sydney.
    [Show full text]
  • The Social System of Systems Intelligence – a Study Based on Search Engine Method
    In Essays on Systems Intelligence, eds. Raimo P. Hämäläinen and Esa Saarinen: pp. 119-133 Espoo: Aalto University, School of Science and Technology, Systems Analysis Laboratory Chapter 5 The Social System of Systems Intelligence – A Study Based on Search Engine Method Kalevi Kilkki This essay offers an preliminary study on systems intelligence as a social system based on four cornerstones: writings using the terminology of systems intelligence, search engines, models to describe the behavior of social phenomena, and a theory of social systems. As a result we provide an illustration of systems intelligence field as a network of key persons. The main conclusion is that the most promising area for systems intelligence as social system is to systematically apply positive psychology to develop organizational management and to solve our everyday problems. Introduction The social system of systems intelligence is an ambitious topic, particularly for a person without any formal studies in sociology. Moreover, systems intelligence is a novel area of science and, hence, the development of its social structures is in early phase. It is even possible to argue that there is not yet any social system of systems intelligence. The approach of this study is based on four cornerstones: first, the literature that has used concept of systems intelligence, second, search engines, third, models to describe the behavior of social phenomena, and forth, a theory of social systems. As a result we may be able to say something novel about the development of systems intelligence as a social system. As to the social systems this essay relies on the grand theory developed by Niklas Luhmann (Luhmann 1995).
    [Show full text]
  • Limits to Growth Revisited: Has the World Modeling Debate Made Any Progress? Walter E
    Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review Volume 5 | Issue 1 Article 8 1-1-1976 Limits to Growth Revisited: Has the World Modeling Debate Made Any Progress? Walter E. Hecox Follow this and additional works at: http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/ealr Part of the Environmental Law Commons Recommended Citation Walter E. Hecox, Limits to Growth Revisited: Has the World Modeling Debate Made Any Progress?, 5 B.C. Envtl. Aff. L. Rev. 65 (1976), http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/ealr/vol5/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at Digital Commons @ Boston College Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Boston College Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LIMITS TO GROWTH REVISITED: HAS THE WORLD MODELING DEBATE MADE ANY PROGRESS? Walter E. Hecox* LIMITS To GROWTH, lone of the most controversial academic stud­ ies of this century, was introduced to the world on March 2, 1972, at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Written by Dennis Meadows and others at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech­ nology, this study was released amid great publicity and interest. The immediate reaction came primarily in the popular press, which focused on the book's dire predictions of future world collapse. The media speculated that this study might change the course of man­ kind, was an international event, contained chilling statistics to underscore man's predicament, was a pioneering effort towards pla­ netary planning, raised life-and-death questions, and should stir the imagination of thoughtful men and women everywhere.
    [Show full text]
  • The Limits to Influence: the Club of Rome and Canada
    THE LIMITS TO INFLUENCE: THE CLUB OF ROME AND CANADA, 1968 TO 1988 by JASON LEMOINE CHURCHILL A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfilment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2006 © Jason Lemoine Churchill, 2006 Declaration AUTHOR'S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A THESIS I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract This dissertation is about influence which is defined as the ability to move ideas forward within, and in some cases across, organizations. More specifically it is about an extraordinary organization called the Club of Rome (COR), who became advocates of the idea of greater use of systems analysis in the development of policy. The systems approach to policy required rational, holistic and long-range thinking. It was an approach that attracted the attention of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Commonality of interests and concerns united the disparate members of the COR and allowed that organization to develop an influential presence within Canada during Trudeau’s time in office from 1968 to 1984. The story of the COR in Canada is extended beyond the end of the Trudeau era to explain how the key elements that had allowed the organization and its Canadian Association (CACOR) to develop an influential presence quickly dissipated in the post- 1984 era. The key reasons for decline were time and circumstance as the COR/CACOR membership aged, contacts were lost, and there was a political paradigm shift that was antithetical to COR/CACOR ideas.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluating the Interconnectedness of the Sustainable Development Goals Based on the Causality Analysis of Sustainability Indicators
    sustainability Article Evaluating the Interconnectedness of the Sustainable Development Goals Based on the Causality Analysis of Sustainability Indicators Gyula Dörg˝o 1,† , Viktor Sebestyén 2,† and János Abonyi 1,* 1 MTA-PE “Lendület” Complex Systems Monitoring Research Group, Department of Process Engineering, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, P.O. Box 158, H-8201 Veszprém, Hungary; [email protected] 2 Institute of Environmental Engineering, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, P.O. Box 158, H-8201 Veszprém, Hungary; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] † These authors contributed equally to this work. Received: 20 June 2018; Accepted: 15 October 2018; Published: 18 October 2018 Abstract: Policymaking requires an in-depth understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships between the sustainable development goals. However, due to the complex nature of socio-economic and environmental systems, this is still a challenging task. In the present article, the interconnectedness of the United Nations (UN) sustainability goals is measured using the Granger causality analysis of their indicators. The applicability of the causality analysis is validated through the predictions of the World3 model. The causal relationships are represented as a network of sustainability indicators providing the opportunity for the application of network analysis techniques. Based on the analysis of 801 UN indicator types in 283 geographical regions, approximately 4000 causal relationships were identified and the most important global connections were represented in a causal loop network. The results highlight the drastic deficiency of the analysed datasets, the strong interconnectedness of the sustainability targets and the applicability of the extracted causal loop network.
    [Show full text]
  • 2020-21 Schedule Fast Facts Bears by the Numbers
    SUN DEVILS ASU VS GOLDEN BEARS CALIFORNIA 0-7 (0-4 Pac-12) 6-2 (2-2 Pac-12) 2020-21 SCHEDULE Friday, January 1, 2021 2:00 p.m. PT 2020-21 Overall: 0-7• Pac-12: 0-4 Home: 0-5 • Away: 0-2 • Neutral: 0-0 Desert Financial Arena Pac-12 Network/Arizona/Bay Area DATE OPPONENT TIME (PT) Nov. 25 San Jose State L 56-48 Nov. 29 Cal State Bakersfield L 60-52 NEW YEAR’S IN TEMPE Dec. 4 Washington* L 80-53 Freshman forward Dalayah Daniels recorded her second-consecutive Dec. 6 Washington State* POSTPONED Dec. 10 San Francisco L 67-62 double-double and third overall in the Bears’ most recent matchup at Dec. 13 #1 Stanford* L 83-38 USC. She is the only freshman in the Pac-12 with three double-doubles Dec. 19 at #11 UCLA* L 71-37 and she has played all 40 minutes in back-to-back contests. Her three Dec. 21 at USC* L 77-54 Jan. 1 at Arizona State* 2pm double-doubles are the second most in the conference and 25th-most Jan. 3 at Arizona* 11am in the nation. She currently leads the team in both average points (12.0) Jan. 8 Oregon State* 2pm and rebounds (7.6 – sixth in the Pac-12) and her 261 overall minutes Jan. 10 Oregon* 1pm and 37:39 minutes per game both lead the conference. Jan. 15 at Colorado* 2:30pm Jan. 17 at Utah* 11am Jan. 22 USC* TBD Meanwhile, sophomore guard Leilani McIntosh is ranked second in the Jan.
    [Show full text]
  • Population and Development Review Cumulative Index
    POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW CUMULATIVE CONTENTS VOLUMES 1–35 1975–2009 To use this index, open the bookmarks in this document by clicking the “Bookmarks” tab along the left-hand side of the display window. About the cumulative index The index consists of two major sections. I. Lists of: a. Articles, Notes & Commentary, Data & Perspectives, and Signed Book Reviews b. Archives by original year of publication c. Archives d. Documents e. Books Reviewed II. Table of Contents for all issues in volumes 1 to 35 and Supplements to Population and Development Review. The TOCs include links to PDFs of full text stored on www.JSTOR.org or www.Interscience.Wiley.com. How to use the cumulative index 1. If they are not already displayed, open the bookmarks in this document by clicking the “Bookmarks” tab along the left-hand side of the display window. 2. Click within the bookmarks and select the list you would like to search. 3. Pull-down the “Edit” tab and select “Find” (Ctrl + F). 4. Type your search term and click the “Next” button to find a relevant listing. Note that the “Find” feature will search through the entire cumulative index beginning with the list you select. 5. To read the full article, go to the relevant table of contents using the bookmarks. 6. Click the article title to open the PDF. PDFs of articles are stored on the JSTOR or Wiley Interscience site. The links will automatically direct you to these sites. Accessing PDFs Articles on the JSTOR and Wiley Interscience sites are available only to subscribers, which include many libraries and institutions.
    [Show full text]
  • A Synopsis: Limits to Growth: the 30-Year Update
    do nellameado ws.o rg http://www.donellameadows.org/archives/a-synopsis-limits-to-growth-the-30-year-update/ A Synopsis: Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update By Donella Meadows, Jorgen Randers, and Dennis Meadows Chelsea Green (United States & Canada) Earthscan (United Kingdom and Commonwealth) Diamond, Inc (Japan) Kossoth Publishing Company (Hungary) A Synopsis: Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update The signs are everywhere around us: Sea level has risen 10–20 cm since 1900. Most non-polar glaciers are retreating, and the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice is decreasing in summer. In 1998 more than 45 percent of the globe’s people had to live on incomes averaging $2 a day or less. Meanwhile, the richest one- f if th of the world’s population has 85 percent of the global GNP. And the gap between rich and poor is widening. In 2002, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN estimated that 75 percent of the world’s oceanic f isheries were f ished at or beyond capacity. The North Atlantic cod f ishery, f ished sustainably f or hundreds of years, has collapsed, and the species may have been pushed to biological extinction. The f irst global assessment of soil loss, based on studies of hundreds of experts, f ound that 38 percent, or nearly 1.4 billion acres, of currently used agricultural land has been degraded. Fif ty-f our nations experienced declines in per capita GDP f or more than a decade during the period 1990–2001. These are symptoms of a world in overshoot, where we are drawing on the world’s resources f aster than they can be restored, and we are releasing wastes and pollutants f aster than the Earth can absorb them or render them harmless.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigations Into the Club of Rome's World3 Model : Lessons for Understanding Complicated Models
    Investigations into the Club of Rome's World3 model : lessons for understanding complicated models Citation for published version (APA): Thissen, W. A. H. (1978). Investigations into the Club of Rome's World3 model : lessons for understanding complicated models. Technische Hogeschool Eindhoven. https://doi.org/10.6100/IR79372 DOI: 10.6100/IR79372 Document status and date: Published: 01/01/1978 Document Version: Publisher’s PDF, also known as Version of Record (includes final page, issue and volume numbers) Please check the document version of this publication: • A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers. Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal.
    [Show full text]
  • Systems Thinking and Four Forms of Complexity >
    WHITE PAPER SYSTEMS THINKING AND FOUR FORMS OF COMPLEXITY > PhiliPPE VAndenBRoeck June 2015 BIO PhiliPPE VAndenBRoeck Philippe Vandenbroeck is co-founder and Partner at shiftN. www.shiftn.com/about contents 5 A PARADIGM SHIFT 6 SYSTEMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT 7 DEALING WITH DYNAMIC COMPLEXITY 10 DEALING WITH ARCHITECTURAL COMPLEXITY 12 DEALING WITH RELATIONAL COMPLEXITY 15 DEALING WITH GENERATIVE COMPLEXITY 17 CONCLUSION Systems thinking is on the rise. Even so, there are many misconceptions about what it is. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise because, paradoxically enough, systems thinking is not a well-defined intellectual discipline. The Inter- national Institute for General Systems Studies (IIGSS) once produced a family tree of systems thinking in a poster, which was a bewilderingly dense network of family relationships (2001). At its base, we find Babylonian astronomers and Pre-Socratic philosophers. The top has thinkers from the fields of chaos theory, computational linguistics and complexity economics. In between, we find almost every meaningful intellectual movement of the past 2,500 years. Other repre- sentations mirror the same basic picture: a multidisciplinary tangle of sciences leading to a broad ‘delta’ of approaches to systems, with all kinds of secondary movements and schools. Source: www.iigss.net Source: TREE A FAmily TRee of systems thinking. IN it, we find Almost eveRY SYSTEMSmeAningful THINKING AND intellectu FOUR FORMS OFAL COMPLEXITY movement 4 of the PAst 2,500 yeARS. The development of systems thinking is not finished, which in part explains why the discipline appears so fragmented to us. In this interlude, we have en- deavoured to give an overview of the most important manifestations of systems thinking in the past sixty years.
    [Show full text]
  • Transformations)
    TRANSFORMACJE (TRANSFORMATIONS) Transformacje (Transformations) is an interdisciplinary refereed, reviewed journal, published since 1992. The journal is devoted to i.a.: civilizational and cultural transformations, information (knowledge) societies, global problematique, sustainable development, political philosophy and values, future studies. The journal's quasi-paradigm is TRANSFORMATION - as a present stage and form of development of technology, society, culture, civilization, values, mindsets etc. Impacts and potentialities of change and transition need new methodological tools, new visions and innovation for theoretical and practical capacity-building. The journal aims to promote inter-, multi- and transdisci- plinary approach, future orientation and strategic and global thinking. Transformacje (Transformations) are internationally available – since 2012 we have a licence agrement with the global database: EBSCO Publishing (Ipswich, MA, USA) We are listed by INDEX COPERNICUS since 2013 I TRANSFORMACJE(TRANSFORMATIONS) 3-4 (78-79) 2013 ISSN 1230-0292 Reviewed journal Published twice a year (double issues) in Polish and English (separate papers) Editorial Staff: Prof. Lech W. ZACHER, Center of Impact Assessment Studies and Forecasting, Kozminski University, Warsaw, Poland ([email protected]) – Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dora MARINOVA, Sustainability Policy Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Australia ([email protected]) – Deputy Editor-in-Chief Prof. Tadeusz MICZKA, Institute of Cultural and Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland ([email protected]) – Deputy Editor-in-Chief Dr Małgorzata SKÓRZEWSKA-AMBERG, School of Law, Kozminski University, Warsaw, Poland ([email protected]) – Coordinator Dr Alina BETLEJ, Institute of Sociology, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland Dr Mirosław GEISE, Institute of Political Sciences, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland (also statistical editor) Prof.
    [Show full text]
  • The Environmental Dimension of Growth in Frontrunner Companies
    Chairgroup Environmental Policy, Wageningen University The environmental dimension of growth in frontrunner companies Msc. Thesis Erik-Jan van Oosten Supervised by Kris van Koppen 17-8-2015 Student nr. 8806236100 1 Summary There is a correlation between environmental degradation and economic growth. The consequences and reasons for this indirect relation have been debated since The Limits To Growth was published in 1972. The environmental dimension of growth is a contested topic in environmental policy making and a divisive issue amongst environmentalists. The discourse of growth and how to tackle its environmental dimension concerns predominantly macro-economics, not corporate policies. Seven frontrunner companies and their growth strategies are researched to explore the role of Environmental CSR in addressing the environmental dimension of growth. The key areas of research are (1) the literature on the sustainability of growth resulting in arguments, methods and strategies from both the proponents and opponents of growth to address the environmental dimension of growth and (2) policy documents of, and interviews with representatives of, frontrunner companies on how they address the environmental dimension of their growth. In literature, the argument that economic growth is complementary with environmental sustainability is built on several arguments. Economic stability which continued growth can provide is seen as necessary to transition to a more sustainable economy. The environmental Kuznets curve is used to make the argument that the environmental impact of growth will decrease if we keep growing the economy. The opponents of growth argue that there are rebound effects that prevent the environmental impact of human activity to decrease when economic growth continues.
    [Show full text]