How Resource-Cheaply Could We Live Well

• Article: How Resource-Cheaply could we Live Well? Ted Trainer

URL = http://www.paecon.net/PAEReview/issue99/Trainer99.pdf [1]

Abstract

"There is now a very strong case that global sustainability cannot be achieved unless there is large scale degrowth in rich-world economies, but there is little understanding of the magnitude of the reductions required. Reasons are given supporting the claim that rich world per capita resource consumption levels would need to be cut to a small fraction of present levels. This can only be done by transition to far simpler lifestyles and systems, and therefore to radically different economies. The general alternative social forms required are sketched. The main purpose of the article is to show that quite large reductions in per capita consumption are feasible without jeopardizing the quality of life. This is done by detailing aspects of the way of life on a selected homestead site proceeding according to Simpler Way principles. It is explained that a general transition to these kinds of lifestyles and systems would not jeopardise the maintenance of socially-useful modern technology. The conclusion is that the large scale degrowth required for sustainable, just and satisfactory lifestyles and systems is achievable but only if there is transition to some kind of Simpler Way."