“Questioning (economic) growth is deemed to be the act of lunatics, idealists, or revolutionaries. But question it we must. The idea of a non-growing economy may be an anathema to an economist. But the idea of a continually growing economy is an anathema to an ecologist.” – Tim Jackson, Prosperity Without Growth
‘Supertrees’, Singapore. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Conventional economics is based on the assumption that the environment is merely a subset of the economy, resources can be infinitely substituted for one another, and human population growth and consumption can continue indefinitely. Growth is held out as the elixir for our social and economic ills such as unemployment, poverty, and the staggering government and private debt. In an age of rising energy costs, a changing climate, land use degradation, and an ever growing population, the importance of ecological consequences of economic growth are becoming increasingly obvious. This semester, Jim Vincent (UST Economics) and I lead an Aquinas Honors seminar to discuss relationships between economic growth and the environment. We asked our 12 students to write essays on an issue of their choice that integrated themes from Ecology and Economics.
Several of the essays focused on food and agriculture. Louis Kjerstad (senior Mechanical Engineering major) wrote about how the development of agricultural technologies could be used to address two of the world’s greatest challenges: increase food production and reduce environmental impacts from agriculture. Emily Kindelspire (senior Justice and Peace Studies major and Women’s Studies minor) made the case for the general adoption of Permaculture (an agricultural approach that seeks to recreate sustainable, natural processes in agricultural systems). Leann Luecke (senior Environmental Science major) argued that a focus on food could lead to a more general adoption of sustainable lifestyles. Aislinn Leonard (senior Communication and Journalism AND French, Modern, and Classical Languages double major) focused on the importance of honey bees in agriculture and highlighted the recent staggering declines in honeybee populations. Mairin Bierer (senior Catholic Studies major and Art History minor) focused on the tremendous waste that exists in our food system, and highlighted some of the efforts made by UST Dining Services to address this issue. Finally, Kristen Lederer (senior Neuroscience major) discussed the health and environmental consequences of our high rates of meat consumption.
Two essays explored the economic consequences of climate change. Chris Malloy (junior Economics major and Business Administration minor) focused explicitly on how tools in the field of economics could be used to address challenges stemming from rising sea levels. Julia Larson (junior Actuarial Science major and Catholic Studies minor) argued for the use of risk management techniques to help individuals, communities, corporations, and governments to understand and prepare for future consequences of climate change.
Other essays identified ongoing economic and social programs that could reduce the ecological impact of economic activities. Elizabeth Phyle (senior Justice and Peace and History double major) highlighted activities in Kalunborg, Denmark where industries have been linked together such that producers in one industrial segment use waste products from other segments (a system called Industrial Symbiosis). Josh Zahrbock (senior Justice and Peace/History double major and Environmental Studies minor) wrote about how companies could use “sustainable branding” to reduce the environmental impacts of consumerism. And Shannon Koester (senior Social Work major) argued that the tourism industry could do a lot to steer travelers to more sustainable practices.
Finally, Mark Painter (senior Biology major) made the case that incorporating Ecology into Economics does not need to be gloomy (e.g., “The End of Growth”). Instead, Mark argued that we need metrics for measuring societal success that are more general than Gross Domestic Product or other narrowly focused economics measures. He suggests that a focus on maximizing the general happiness of citizens could both inspire action and lead to a more sustainable future.
The students provided many links to the relevant literature on each of these topics. Thanks to all of them for their fine work. We hope these essays can contribute to a greater emphasis on sustainability both at UST and in our society as a whole.
