Sustainable Development and the Limitation of Growth: Future Prospects for World Civilization (Springer Praxis Books)

2007 marked the 20th anniversary of the G.H.Brundtland Commission report that broke new ground by addressing the issue of sustainable development as a means of avoiding an ecological catastrophe. This led to a multitude of political declarations, documents and scientific articles while Agenda 21 – adopted in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro – has been accepted by the governments of more than 100 countries. Sadly, however, this has not prevented certain recent dangerous trends, nor have the wider public, journalists, business circles or politicians grasped the urgency of the problem. It is therefore important to make humanity understand its real place in the natural environment and the gravity of the ecological threat before us. The exclusive role of natural ecosystems is a key factor in the maintenance of the biospheric equilibrium. The current global crisis is largely caused by their dramatic decline by 43% in the past hundred years. Ignoring the immutable laws and limitations which determine the existence of all living things in the biosphere could lead humanity to an ecological catastrophe. This book presents the ecological, demographic, economic and socio-psychological manifestations of the global crisis and outlines the immutable laws and limitations which determine the existence of all living things in the biosphere. Front Matter....Pages i-xix Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Global ecological situation....Pages 3-23 Critically overpopulated planet....Pages 25-38 The ecological equivalents of modern man....Pages 39-45 Front Matter....Pages 47-47 The social dimension of the crisis....Pages 49-59 The role of centralized and market economies....Pages 61-70 The crisis of values as the main cause of the ecological challenge....Pages 71-80 Front Matter....Pages 81-81 The mission of the Club of Rome....Pages 83-87 Programs for change: Stockholm—Rio—Johannesburg....Pages 89-98 Toward a systemic understanding of the biosphere....Pages 99-115 The constancy of the planetary environment in light of the biotic regulation mechanism....Pages 117-159 Front Matter....Pages 161-161 The basis of sustainability in nature and in civilization....Pages 163-168 The national colors of sustainable development....Pages 169-176 Co-evolution of nature and society: Fact or fiction?....Pages 177-183 Front Matter....Pages 185-185 Sustainable development in relation to the carrying capacity of the biosphere....Pages 187-196 The starting conditions of sustainable development and the preservation of ecosystems by country and continent....Pages 197-221 Navigation directions: Indicators of sustainable development....Pages 223-231 Front Matter....Pages 233-233 The barricades of old thinking in the way of sustainable development....Pages 235-238 What the market economy can and cannot accomplish....Pages 239-244 Sustainable development and the “real human condition”....Pages 245-249 The social premises of sustainable development and the globalization problem....Pages 251-256 Back Matter....Pages 257-262 It is over 15 years since Agenda 21 was adopted in Rio de Janeiro, and over 100 countries have now espoused this code to use sustainable development as a means of avoiding an ecological catastrophe. However it is obvious that, even with this commitment, there is still a significant lack of both understanding and action. Sustainable Development and the Limitation of Growth presents the ecological, demographic, economic and socio-psychological manifestations of the global crisis, and outlines the immutable laws and limitations which determine the existence of all living things in the biosphere. The book contends that sustainability is achievable only on a global scale and cannot be regionalized or isolated; demonstrates the need to move to a new way of thinking; shows humanity its real place in the natural environment; highlights the importance of global environmental stability. This unique work argues for a change in the sustainable development paradigm, the strategic nucleus of which must be the conservation of ecosystems, especially forests, still in existence and the partial reconstruction of destroyed ecosystems, as well as for an understanding of humanity’s real place in the natural environment and the gravity of the ecological threat before us. 1