Description
Book SynopsisWe find ourselves at a crossroads between environmental disaster and a new industrial revolution: a shift from the ruthless exploitation of nature toward cooperation with it. Decoupling economic growth from environmental consumption is an ambitious goal, but also an achievable one. ‘Green Growth, Smart Growth’ outlines a way forward in this great transformation, and does so in the conviction that the dangers posed by climate change can be overcome through a new approach to economics, innovation and proactive policymaking.
Trade Review“This is a much-needed book. It doesn’t gloss over the crisis but rather shows ways out of it, beyond the gloom, doom and ‘business as usual.’ It’s about a great awakening, a new industrial revolution, and at the same time about a new relationship to nature.” —Prof. Ernst Ulrich v. Weizsäcker, Co-President of the Club of Rome
“What does a sustainable future look like in the transition from the geological era to the age of man, the Holocene to Anthropocene? We must thank Fücks for not retreating to a position of resignation with this book. He lays out how even in a world of 9 billion people prosperity and peaceful coexistence are still possible.” —Prof. Klaus Töpfer, former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme
“We have been bombarded with the choice between the good and the bad. Why? We should all strive to do better without forcing anyone to choose between black and white, as Ralf Fücks demonstrates in his book ‘Green Growth, Smart Growth’.” —Gunter Pauli, author and founder of the Zero Emissions Research Initiative
“Global challenges require a rethink. Ralf Fücks argues that the key lies in a green industrial revolution: a sustainable business that combines economy and ecology and safeguards our livelihoods. The energy revolution in Germany shows that we can protect the environment while creating clean-energy jobs and securing prosperity.” —Winfried Kretschmann, leading Green Party politicia
Table of ContentsForeword by Anthony Giddens; Preface and Acknowledgments; Introduction: The Decline of Modernity or the Beginning of a New Chapter?; 1. A Changing World; 2. The Limits to Growth – The Growth of Limits; 3. The Malaise of Modernity; 4. The Green Industrial Revolution; 5. Bioeconomics; 6. The Future of Agriculture; 7. An Energy Revolution; 8. The Postfossil City; 9. Ecocapitalism; 10. The Politics of Environmental Transformation; Notes; Bibliography; About the Author; Index
