issuesComplex, interconnected issues must be dealt with rapidly and effectively if we are to achieve a resilient future.
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Consulting the Genius of the Place
Our current global economic system has to grow in order to remain healthy — that's simply the way it is designed. But unending growth is not compatible with a finite planet, and even growth in the "knowledge" and "service" economies involves the use of non-renewable resources. Institutionalized perpetual growth together with an exponentially-growing global population is a recipe for disaster.
Fortunately, there are ways to reform our economic system peacefully if there is enough political will. Political goals can be changed to prioritize social well-being instead of the sheer growth of economic activity. Governments can stop allowing the negative consequences ("externalities") of economic activities to be separated from prices and borne by the public at large. With such "economics as if people mattered," basic economic activities become more localized, bringing better local jobs and more socially and environmentally responsible business practices.
A live Q&A with Richard Heinberg, author of The End of Growth recorded on January 30th for Occupy Educated.
[Excerpt]: According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend an average of about $700 per person on holiday season shopping this year and, despite the hype surrounding Black … >>
By Juliet Sinisterra, OutThere Monthly In 2003 The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by Richard Heinberg was published. The book is a somber, detailed analysis … >>
EXCERPT: The debt-based money system just described cannot work if there is less and less energy available. We only borrow if we think we're going to have more money in future with … >>
How do population, water, energy, food, and climate issues impact one another? What can we do to address one problem without making the others worse? The Post Carbon Reader features … >>
Economists insist that recovery is at hand, yet unemployment remains high, real estate values continue to sink, and governments stagger under record deficits. Richard Heinberg proposes a startling diagnosis: humanity has reached a fundamental turning point in its economic history.
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meet our fellowsPCI has gathered 29 of the world's leading experts on a wide range of interdependent social and scientific issues.
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what is pci?Founded in 2003, Post Carbon Institute is leading the transition to a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable world. The Institute has gathered 29 of the world's leading experts on a wide range of interdependent social and scientific issues.
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