STWR - Share The World's Resources

With global demand for imports waning, it is time to re-think the export-led growth economic model foisted onto developing countries in recent decades. Development strategies should instead focus on domestic markets, says a report by the UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2010.

Creating a global economy that is both sustainable and equitable means adjusting the excessive resource use of the rich in order to meet the needs of the world’s poor. Such a shift requires state involvement in the market that is both internationally and nationally democratic, writes Jayati Ghosh.

Those questioning the possibility of endless economic growth remain on the fringe of politics and academia. But as the reality of environmental limits kicks in, steady-state economics may be forced on us whether we like it or not, writes Clive Thompson.

In a literature review and analysis of alternative indicators of national well-being, a report provides an overview of a broad range of existing measures that go beyond gross domestic product (GDP) to offer a more complete and accurate picture of how a society and its economy are faring. By the Urban Institute.

We’ve been captured by a myth far more alluring than the one that Charles Darwin confronted 150 years ago: the dream of perpetual economic growth. The uncomfortable truth is that we’re not approaching the ecological limits to growth; we’re well past them, writes Wayne Ellwood.

In recent years, new forms of advertising are contributing to the social and environmental problems associated with overconsumption. Regulation needs to catch up with the industry through new taxes, bans and controls, says a report by Compass.

With the transport revolution, modern lifestyles have become increasingly ‘distance intensive’. As the disadvantages of a travelling and time-saving society manifest, perhaps ubiquity will lose its power and proximity will regain respect and attention, writes Helmut Holzapfel.