Business and Economics

The preoccupation with growth is one of the core impediments preventing us from addressing our perilous predicament. The pervasive influence of this flawed belief is antithetical to our efforts to respond to the crises we face at a scale commensurate with the threats. The logic is inescapable, in a finite world we cannot grow infinitely. The growth mindset ignores environmental and social processes, and this augurs biophysical devastation and societal dysfunction (Brown & Timmerman, 2015). Unbridled growth is both uneconomic and amoral. Despite decades of data, we have not altered our trajectory because we do not see the dangers of...

We are not living within planetary boundaries, and ecological economics (EE) has not secured sufficient engagement from governments, civil society, and the private sector to alter our perilous trajectory.  We have not succeeded because we frame the issues with failed assumptions that prevent us from apprehending the interconnected ecological and humanitarian crises (Ingebrigtsen & Jakobsen, 2012). Our assumptions inform what we call reality and the inculcation of failed assumptions from classical economics has prevented us from acting on the ecological crises at the required scale. The assumptions we have determine the methodologies we use and ultimately the outcomes of our inquiries. The fixation with growth is...

Environmental governance provides frameworks for the complex, multifaceted political, social, and economic actions required to address the polycrisis.  The urgency of the need for expedited action makes environmental governance more important than ever before. Although ongoing ecological degradation has made many understandably pessimistic, we have witnessed major progress in the realm of environmental governance in recent years. In the last few years alone, we have seen historic global agreements, important political changes, and shifting business priorities.  What is environmental governance? There are different types of environmental governance, but in its simplest essence, it is a system of administration and a way of...

Planetary Boundaries We need of governance solutions to ecological crises that respect Planetary Boundaries. By re-embedding the economy into biophysical and social processes we can democratically promote degrowth that is both equitable and sustainable. We are faced with a growing ecological crisis, yet our anemic response fails to respect planetary boundaries (PBs), and this can augur tipping points from which we may not be able to recover. Researchers have proposed various approaches to address this issue including re-embedding the economy into biophysical and social processes, but it is unclear why they have not been implemented. I will review the literature and...

This paper explains, contrasts, and critiques ecological economics (EE) and classical economics (CE). It examines the normalized assumptions from CE and some of the ways that EE can address salient critiques. It concludes by suggesting that to be effective EE needs a theoretical orientation. EE focuses on the interconnectedness between nature, society, and the economy (Lundgren, 2022). Its origins are a reaction to the multiple failures of existing mainstream disciplines and its theoretical inspiration is derived from the laws of thermodynamics, specifically entropy or resource-based critiques of neoclassical economics (ibid, Martinez p. 3, 2015).  EE sees the economy as being...

In September 2021, Patagonia was recognized as the world’s most responsible company and in September 2022, the sustainability juggernaut took its support for the planet to a whole new level by donating the entire enterprise to environmental causes. As explained in the company's mission, "We’re in business to save our home planet". Sustainability is woven into Patagonia’s DNA. Although many companies now make this claim, in Patagonia’s case it is true.  Patagonia is a long-time sustainability leader, in the 80s the company started donating to the "1% for the Planet," and it has since donated $140 million to environmental groups as part...

What are the different economic systems and what is a sustainable economy? These are important questions that need to be asked in light of the fact that the prevailing economic systems are not working. It is becoming increasingly clear that we require a paradigm shift to address pressing social and environmental problems. The brown economy continues to dominate and it is driving many of the world's most pressing problems. There are however alternative economic systems like the green economy and the blue economy which are capable of meeting the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations....

Sustainable economic systems are focused on sustainable development rather than economic growth. The four types of economic systems all have environmental implications as do the three types of economies reviewed in this post (brown, blue, and green). It should be stated at the outset that most modern economies are mixed but increasingly climate change, air pollution, and environmental degradation are driving efforts to transition away from the brown economy toward both the blue and the green economies. Brown Economy A brown economy is one in which economic growth is largely dependent on environmentally destructive forms of activity, especially fossil fuels...

When it comes to the economy there are many ways that we can categorize different approaches . One of the ways we can do this is through color-coding these different economic approaches. Here is a brief description of ten colors that can be used to describe different areas of economic focus:  Brown, green, blue, golden, purple, white, silver, red, gray, and black economies. Some of these color-coded economic systems have dual meanings so in several cases asterisks and brief footnotes have been added to briefly define alternate meanings. 1. The brown economy A brown economy is focused on economic growth that...

thegreenmarketoracle.com A diverse array of sustainability-focused private equity (PE) firms are proliferating around the world. Many of these private investment funds are venture capitalists with startup and early-stage investment strategies. These firms can be differentiated by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This alphabetized list of PEs is composed of firms that focus on one or more of the following SDGs: Climate action, clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, quality education, innovation and infrastructure, life below water, and life on land. The list of leading impact investment-focused PE firms are presented according to the SDG goals they are associated with, however, all...