Western culture is infatuated with the dream of going beyond, even as it is increasingly haunted by the specter of apocalypse: drought, famine, nuclear winter. How did we come to think of the planet and its limits as we do? This book reclaims, redefines, and makes an impassioned plea for limits—a notion central to environmentalism—clearing them from their association with Malthusianism and the ideology and politics that go along with it. Giorgos Kallis rereads reverend-economist Thomas Robert Malthus and his legacy, separating limits and scarcity, two notions that have long been conflated in both environmental and economic thought. Limits are not something out there, a property of nature to be deciphered by scientists, but a choice that confronts us, one that, paradoxically, is part and parcel of the pursuit of freedom. Taking us from ancient Greece to Malthus, from hunter-gatherers to the Romantics, from anarchist feminists to 1970s radical environmentalists, Limits shows us how an institutionalized culture of sharing can make possible the collective self-limitation we so urgently need.

Limits: Why Malthus Was Wrong and Why Environmentalists Should Care

Business & Money

Kallis, Giorgos

Economics

Stanford Briefs

The Case for Degrowth

About the Author\nGiorgos Kallis is ICREA Professor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Autonomous University of Barcelona. 
Susan Paulson is Professor at the Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida. 
Giacomo D’Alisa is a FCT post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra. 
Federico Demaria is a lecturer in ecological economics and political ecology at the University of Barcelona.\nThe relentless pursuit of economic growth is the defining characteristic of contemporary societies. Yet it benefits few and demands monstrous social and ecological sacrifice. Is there a viable alternative? How can we halt the endless quest to grow global production and consumption and instead secure socio-ecological conditions that support lives worth living for all?\nIn this compelling book, leading experts Giorgos Kallis, Susan Paulson, Giacomo D’Alisa and Federico Demaria make the case for degrowth - living well with less, by living differently, prioritizing wellbeing, equity and sustainability. Drawing on emerging initiatives and enduring traditions around the world, they advance a radical degrowth vision and outline policies to shape work and care, income and investment that avoid exploitative and unsustainable practices. Degrowth, they argue, can be achieved through transformative strategies that allow societies to slow down by design, not disaster.\nEssential reading for all concerned citizens, policy-makers, and students, this book will be an important contribution to one of the thorniest and most pressing debates of our era.

Paulson, Susan

D'Alisa, Giacomo

DeMaria, Federico

Polity

The relentless pursuit of economic growth is the defining characteristic of contemporary&nbsp;societies.&nbsp;Yet it benefits few and&nbsp;demands&nbsp;monstrous&nbsp;social and ecological sacrifice. Is there a viable alternative? How can we halt the endless quest to grow global production and consumption and&nbsp;instead&nbsp;secure socio-ecological conditions that support lives worth living for all?&nbsp; In this compelling book, leading experts Giorgos Kallis, Susan Paulson, Giacomo D'Alisa and Federico Demaria make the case for degrowth - living well with less, by living differently, prioritizing wellbeing, equity and sustainability.&nbsp; Drawing on emerging initiatives and enduring traditions around the world, they advance a radical degrowth vision and outline policies to shape work and care,&nbsp;income and investment that avoid exploitative and unsustainable practices. Degrowth, they argue, can be achieved through&nbsp;transformative&nbsp;strategies that allow societies to slow down by design, not disaster.&nbsp; Essential reading for all concerned citizens, policy-makers, and students, this book will be an important contribution to one of the thorniest and most pressing debates of our era.

Degrowth (The Economy: Key Ideas)

The term "degrowth" has emerged within ecological and other heterodox schools of economics as a critique of the idea (and ideology) of economic growth. Instead, degrowth advocates a contraction of economies by reducing production and consumption, arguing that it is possible to do so without reducing prosperity or wellbeing. One might see in the degrowth community a resurgence of a radical theoretical and political variant of environmentalism, or "ecologism," based on the key premise that there are, and that there must be, "limits to growth."While this is an old idea, the recent degrowth literature has given it new shape by bringing different disciplines and schools of thought together in formulating its core critiques and propositions. Degrowth is the interdisciplinary theory, or science, of ecologism and the aim of this book is to summarize its core elements in a brief, succinct, and simple form. It grounds degrowth squarely within the field of ecological economics and, in addition to outlining its key ideas, explores what it would take for an economy to transition to a position that enabled it to prosper without growth.

Agenda Publishing

The term "degrowth" has emerged within ecological and other heterodox schools of economics as a critique of the idea (and ideology) of economic growth. Instead, degrowth advocates a contraction of economies by reducing production and consumption, arguing that it is possible to do so without reducing prosperity or wellbeing. One might see in the degrowth community a resurgence of a radical theoretical and political variant of environmentalism, or "ecologism," based on the key premise that there are, and that there must be, "limits to growth." While this is an old idea, the recent degrowth literature has given it new shape by bringing different disciplines and schools of thought together in formulating its core critiques and propositions. Degrowth is the interdisciplinary theory, or science, of ecologism and the aim of this book is to summarize its core elements in a brief, succinct, and simple form. It grounds degrowth squarely within the field of ecological economics and, in addition to outlining its key ideas, explores what it would take for an economy to transition to a position that enabled it to prosper without growth.

Buy the book directly from the publisher at www.indefenseofdegrowth.com
The idea of degrowth is contentious, often misunderstood, and (perhaps paradoxically) growing in popularity. In this book, Giorgos Kallis, one of the movement's leading thinkers, presents an accessible, inspiring, and enjoyable defense. The book's chapters—a compilation of his opinion essays, newspaper articles, blog posts, and 'minifestos'—range from topics such as eco-modernism, the history of economics, science fiction, the Greek crisis, and Hollywood films. The book also features debates and exchanges between Kallis and degrowth detractors. In defense of degrowth is intended as an introduction for the curious, a defense against the skeptics, and an intellectually stimulating conversation for those already convinced but willing to learn more.

In defense of degrowth: Opinions and minifestos

Uneven Earth Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kallis, Giorgos. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Kallis, Giorgos

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kallis, Giorgos. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Limits: Why Malthus Was Wrong and Why Environmentalists Should Care

The Case for Degrowth

The Case for Degrowth

Degrowth (The Economy: Key Ideas)

Degrowth (The Economy: Key Ideas)

In defense of degrowth: Opinions and minifestos