The Gaia Atlas of Green Economics (Gaia Future) [Paperback]

Paul Ekins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 29, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0385419147 | ISBN-13: 978-0385419147 | Edition: 1st Anchor Books ed

Every day, all over the world, billions of people play their part in humanity's global growth economy. Money is the god, material wealth the principal virtue, and market economics the ruler of our times. But this economics of consumption is full of hidden costs. It is drawing us ever deeper into social, ecological, and economic crisis. We are trading the health of the Earth and our communities for freeways and the free market. This pioneering work in "green" economics shows us a way out of this destructive obsession with economic growth. It explores a new concept of wealth and wealth creation; it describes a new economics synthesis between the market, state, families, and communities; it sets out what governments and people can do to build a sustainable society - to create prosperity and a fairer world in a healthy environment.

Paul Ekins is one of the foremost thinkers in a new field, working to bring economics into line with the realities of our time and show people how economics affects all our lives. Mayer Hillman and Robert Hutchison contribute their specialist knowledge of social policy issues.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The authors take on a formidable task: to integrate "the ethical, social, ecological, and economic dimensions of human experience" in order to expose flaws in current economics and address global crisis. Fortunately, British economist Ekins and his coauthors (both at the Policy Studies Institute in London) have produced a valuable, information-packed book, filled with charts and illustrations. Green economics is not value-free: its objectives include the elimination of poverty and the maintenance of the economy at its optimal ecological size. Because increasing national income can actually hide the fact that a society is becoming worse off, the authors argue for new measuring techniques accounting for social and organizational capital and environmental costs. The book addresses an enormous range of issues, including development aid, transport and health policies and company accountability. While many of the arguments are compelling and reforms such as 64 ecological accounting already have been adopted in Western Europe, others, such as a recommended shift from income taxes to resource taxes, 151 are debatable. Moreover, the authors hardly address the link between economic systems and a nation's culture, leaving their citations of Japanese progress open to question.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

Every day, all over the world, billions of people play their part in humanity's global growth economy. Money is the god, material wealth the principal virtue, and market economics the ruler of our times. But this economics of consumption is full of hidden costs. It is drawing us ever deeper into social, ecological, and economic crisis. We are trading the health of the Earth and our communities for freeways and the free market. This pioneering work in "green" economics shows us a way out of this destructive obsession with economic growth. It explores a new concept of wealth and wealth creation; it describes a new economics synthesis between the market, state, families, and communities; it sets out what governments and people can do to build a sustainable society--to create prosperity and a fairer world in a healthy environment.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; 1st Anchor Books ed edition (February 29, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385419147
• ISBN-13: 978-0385419147
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,825,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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