Outline

• Economic growth vs. biodiversity conservation

• Biodiversity conservation and human welfare

• Technological progress

• Iron triangle

• Steady State Revolution

Endangerment Causes

Urbanization

Agriculture

Water diversions (e.g., reservoirs)

Recreation, tourism development

Pollution

Domestic livestock, ranching

247

205

160

148

143

136

Czech et al. 2000. Bioscience 50(7):593-601.

Causes (cont.)

Mineral, gas, oil extraction

Non-native species

Harvest

Modified fire regimes

Road construction/maintenance

Industrial development

134

115

101

83

83

81

Czech et al. 2000. Bioscience 50(7):593-601.

Economic Growth

• an increase in the production and

consumption of goods and services

• typically expressed in terms of GDP

• facilitated by increasing:

–population

–per capita consumption

Time

GD

PK

Natural capital allocated to human economy

Natural capital allocated to economy of nature

PDF files for these articles available at The Wildlife Society website: www.wildlife.org

ESA Listings and GDP

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1973 1980 1990 2001

$10

$9

$8

$7

$6

$5

$4

$3

R2 = 98.4

K

Carrying Capacity ScenariosIn

divi

dual

s

Time

r-selection

K-selection

K and r-selected Species

K

Economic Carrying CapacityG

DP

Time

r-selection

K-selection

K and r-selected Economies

American GNP, 1929-1997

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

1929

1932

1935

1938

1941

1944

1947

1950

1953

1956

1959

1962

1965

1968

1971

1974

1977

1980

1983

1986

1989

1992

1995

K

Biodiversity Conservation andSteady State Economy

GD

P

Time

...maintain steady state economy below K.

To conserve biodiversity ...

Biodiverse Goods

• Food

• Fiber

• Medicine

• Genetic stocks

• Experimental subjects

Biodiverse Services

• Atmospheric regulation

• Water provision and purification

• Pollination

• Waste disposal

• Aesthetic pleasure

How important is biodiversity?

• Pending paper by Costanza et al. will

estimate value of world’s biodiversity at $6

trillion dollars per annum; ~ one sixth GGP

• Key component of natural capital

• Natural capital the foundation of economic

security

GG

P

K

Human economy

Economy of nature

We Might Ask

Technological Progress

•Vernacular: invention, innovation

•Technical: increasing productive

efficiency resulting from invention

and innovation

KTGDPNatural capital allocated to human economy

Natural capital allocated to non-human economy

X natural capital allocable

Time 

KU

X/2 conserved  K1

K2

 

 

GDP

Time

X natural capital allocable KU

Economic growth with technology level 2

Economic growth with technology level 1

Consider the Sources

• Research and development

• Corporate profit

• Economies of scale

K1

K2

 

GDP

Time 

X/2 natural capital allocableKU

X/2 converted 

Economic growth with technology level 2

Economic growth with technology level 1

The Great Debate: Is There a Limit?

“Yes”

• Physiocrats

• Classical economists

• Ecological economists

• Ecologists

“No”

• Neoclassical economists

• Corporations

• Politicians

=$

$

$$

The “Information Economy”

• What is the information used for?

• How does one come to afford the information?

And yet we hear:

“Some people just don’t get it.

There is no conflict between

economic growth and

environmental protection!”

Why do they persist?

Goals• Replace national goal of “economic

growth” with national goal of steady state economy.

• Replace bloating economy with steady state economy.

Revolutions 

• Magnitude of change

• Pace of change

• “When evolution won’t cut it”

• Evolution combined with revolt

Steady State Revolution

• Academic, social

• Peaceable, not pacifistic

• Models–abolition of child labor

–reduction of smoking

Academic Phase

• Replacement of neoclassical

economic growth theory

• Refocusing of curricula

• More public outreach

Social Phase• “Economic growth” reconstructed

as economic bloating

• Dollar spent is dollar burned

• Castigation of the liquidating class

Class Structure of the Steady State Revolution

•  Liquidating class

• Steady state class

• Amorphic class

Percentile: 80 99 100

Expenditures

Consumption Classes

Percentile: 80 99 100

Expenditures

Consumption Classes

Percentile: 80 99 100

Expenditures

Consumption Classes

Percentile: 80 99 100

Expenditures

Consumption Classes

Liquidators

Steady Staters

Amorphs

                      

Amorphic Class

Steady State Class

Liquidating Class

Amorphic Class

Liquidating Class

Steady State Class

Economic Rationale

• “Trickle-down consumption”

• Redistribution of wealth compensates for reduced per capita consumption

• Reduction of waste

• Leads toward steady state economy

Liquidators

Amorphs

Ecological Capacity

PovertyLineSome Steady Staters

Most Steady Staters

Liquidators

Amorphs Liquidators

Amorphs

Steady Staters

Ecological Capacity

PovertyLineSome Steady Staters

Most Steady Staters

Political Rationale

• No “everyone revolt against everybody”

• Taps into predisposition

• Readily identifiable classes

Psychological Rationale

• Darwin, Veblen, Maslow

• Cure for “liquidator syndrome”

• Ratcheting effect toward

sustainable ideology

Maslow’s Hierarchy 1) Food

2) Security

3) Love, affection, reproduction

4) Self-esteem

5) Self-actualization

Sociopolitical Rationale

• Ideological horse before the public

policy cart

• Supplementary to policy

prescriptions

• Replaces politicians, not system

Ethics I • Equity (current, intergenerational)

• Consistent with religions: Buddhist,

Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Judaic

• “Devil in the details” of castigation

• Tolerance overrated

Ethics II• “Why do they hate Americans?”

– It’s the economy, stupid!

– Conspicuous consumption not everything, but

major thing

• SSR beats violent alternatives

• “Speaking truth to power”

K

GD

P

Time