Anthropocene Histories Seminar: Scarcity

About the seminar:
Speakers for this seminar are Fredrik Albritton Jonsson (Chicago) and Carl Wennerlind (Barnard).

The deepening crisis and the Earth System itself shows that a new concept of scarcity is needed, one that acknowledges the actual finitude of water, air, biodiversity, and Earth Systems. We have to develop an economic model that situates production, exchange, and consumption in the context of complex ecological systems, including the threat of tipping points in the Earth System. Our book explores the debate about growth and degrowth from the alternative conceptual framework of Planetary Scarcity. We define this as a condition of overconsumption, particularly in the western world, that is producing strains in the Earth System, including overflowing carbon sinks and falling biodiversity. We argue that the solution to planetary scarcity is a process of repair which combines elements of decarbonization and biodiversity restoration. Repair is by definition both reactive and constructive, incorporating retreat and constraint as well as transformation and intervention. Our best bet may be to limit or excise Cornucopianism from culture and ideology and reorient the discipline of economics towards the goal of human flourishing within planetary constraints. As such, heterodox economists like Kate Raworth and Partha Dasgupta offer paths for others to follow.

The seminar will take place online over zoom and the link to join will be shared a few days beforehand.