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[GreenYes] From NYTimes, Saturday, March 4


Ecological Economics

Here's something to chew on as you head to work on Monday: "Everything the
economic system produces ultimately returns to the ecosystem as waste."

That idea, which puts increases in productivity into new prospective, comes
from Joshua Farley, an "ecological economist" who was interviewed this week
on WorldChanging.com.

As the interview makes clear, ecological economics is as complex as the
phenomena it studies. But as the name hints, it puts heavy emphasis on
sustainability, and it introduces factors into economic analysis that
traditionalists generally ignore - to the peril of all of us, according to
Mr. Farley.

"The dominant economic paradigm strives for ever-increasing economic
growth," he says. "Not only is this impossible on a finite planet, but
growing evidence suggests that beyond a certain point, more material
consumption does nothing to make us better off."

Mr. Farley says that resource scarcity lies at the heart of his discipline.
"Some of the most important issues we face today are climate change,
biodiversity loss, ozone depletion and other environmental problems that are
completely ignored by market forces. Our economic system has to evolve to
respond to these new scarcities."





Kendall Christiansen

Gaia Strategies

151 Maple Street

Brooklyn, NY 11225

o: 718.941.9535; cell: 917.359.0725





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