Analysts suggest that the finite nature of the earth’s biosphere will inevitably limit economic growth as we know it. While governments hesitate, various community-led projects are leading the way in the transition to a sustainable and resilient post-growth world, writes Richard Heinberg.
In response to the current ecological and financial crises, the call for a more sustainable and fairer globalization is gaining momentum. Building this alternative must begin with a spiritual, moral and ethical understanding of our society and economy, says Kamran Mofid.
A new generation of scientists, scholars, and social reformers are beginning to challenge dominant narratives of human nature that inform our cultural and political debates. The notion that reason is the apex of human consciousness is giving way to an 'Age of Empathy', writes Jeremy Rifkin.
The financial and political events of the past year have given rise to a crisis of ethics. How do we decide our values? In what ways should our economic system change? How can we build a new politics of the common good? Three thinkers present their views in The Guardian.
In the current financial system, money follows the route towards the highest profit, regardless of the social and environmental consequences. Governments must foster alternatives to commercial banks in order to make finance serve the interests of the people, argues Molly Scott Cato.
In order to deal with the multiple systemic crises currently
facing humanity, resource allocation must be restored to the public domain. This
requires a stronger state and the building of local management systems, say Carlos
Lopes, Ignacy Sachs and Ladislau Dowbor.
Building a new economy requires a radical rethink of the education system. Not only must future graduates be prepared to serve institutions that support ecological balance, shared prosperity, and living democracy, they must also be enabled to create them. By David Korten.
