Escape from Overshoot: Economics for a Planet in Peril

Book by Peter A. Victor
New Society Publishers, 04 April 2023

Earth is in overshoot. The relentless pursuit of economic growth in the name of “progress” has stressed the planet beyond its limits. This richly illustrated book by CUSP co-investigator Prof Peter Victor describes the current predicament and how economics can help find a path to a post-growth future.

Surveying economic alternatives and charting plausible paths forward for a planned economic contraction, Escape from Overshoot covers a wide terrain, including:

  • An overview of Earth overshoot and prevailing trends and implications for humans and biodiversity
  • A concise review of economic ideas including neoclassical, Keynesian, Marxist, ecological economics, and steady state economics with an eye to the current crisis
  • An analysis of the limitations and possibilities of alternative scenarios such as green growth, doughnut economics, regenerative economics, degrowth, and more
  • Prioritizing intergenerational justice through a contraction and convergence ethical framework
  • The results of modelling of Canada’s economy under different scenarios and the prospects for managed degrowth across industrialized economics as an escape route from overshoot.

Book link

For more details about the book and purchase options, please visit the New Society Publishers website.

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