Vol. 3 No. 1 (2018): Economic Growth
Articles

Rethinking Everything: A sustainable economic system requires radical change in almost everything people consider normal

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  • Graeme Maxton
Graeme Maxton
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This image of the cover of this issue of The Journal of Population and Sustainability has the title in block letters on a grey-green background.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3197/jps.2018.3.1.35

Published 2018-12-01

How to Cite

Maxton, Graeme. 2018. “Rethinking Everything: A Sustainable Economic System Requires Radical Change in Almost Everything People Consider Normal”. The Journal of Population and Sustainability 3 (1):35–51. https://doi.org/10.3197/jps.2018.3.1.35.

Copyright (c) 2018 Graeme Maxton

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Economic growth is not a prerequisite for human development. While economic growth appeared useful following the Second World War, its continued pursuit will result in further environmental destruction and ever-widening inequality. It risks making climate change unstoppable, with dire consequences for humanity and most other species. It is not possible to make a gradual shift to a more sustainable system, as the basic requirements for an enduring economic system are fundamentally different from those that currently exist. To avoid an environmental catastrophe, societies need to deconstruct their economies and radically rethink their purpose.

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